1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,320
Vancouver rundown for Monday, July 29, 2024.

2
00:00:04,720 --> 00:00:06,880
Hundreds of people who live in the provinces,

3
00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:12,480
Slocan Valley have been told to evacuate as wildfires continue to threaten homes.

4
00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:17,640
The 11 kilometer Malvy Creek fire and the 6 kilometer Ponderosa fire

5
00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:19,840
continued to grow on Sunday.

6
00:00:20,240 --> 00:00:24,120
Many of the evacuees have been placed at Selkirk College near Kasselgar.

7
00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:27,840
Meanwhile, cool wet weather has been helping fire crews

8
00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:30,960
battle many other blazes around the province.

9
00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:36,160
Other news, two more BC hospitals have faced weekend ER closures.

10
00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:39,680
Interior Health advised patients and paramedics

11
00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:43,560
to avoid the emergency rooms in both Merritt and Oliver.

12
00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:47,400
Those in Merritt were redirected to Kamloops on Sunday.

13
00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:51,480
Those in Oliver had to go up the Okanagan Valley to Penticton.

14
00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:56,840
These closures are just the latest in a series of Interior Health ER shutdowns

15
00:00:56,840 --> 00:00:58,840
over the past few years.

16
00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:01,840
Three families have been displaced by a large fire

17
00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:05,960
that ripped through their townhouse units in Chilliwack early Sunday morning.

18
00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:09,880
Crews found flames and smoke coming from one of the homes

19
00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:14,200
when they arrived at the Hodgens Avenue complex at around 3.30.

20
00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,680
There were no reported injuries, but firefighters say

21
00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:21,440
some of the smoke alarms may not have been working.

22
00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:25,720
The Walmart in East Vancouver is closed for now

23
00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:27,520
after an arson over the weekend.

24
00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:32,640
The company says a fire was deliberately set inside the store on Saturday.

25
00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:35,040
Clean up and repairs are underway.

26
00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:38,800
Walmart says it will cooperate with investigators

27
00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:41,280
to make sure the arsonist is caught.

28
00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:45,120
Rain for Monday and possible showers on Tuesday.

29
00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:50,000
And then it's back to sunshine and warmer temperatures by Wednesday.

30
00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:54,200
For all the details on these Vancouver area stories,

31
00:01:54,200 --> 00:02:00,360
along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com.