Vancouver rundown for Friday, August 1st, 2025.
Crews continue to contend with a growing number
of wildfires around B .C. An out -of -control
Vancouver Island fire has prompted an evacuation
order for some properties on the north side of
Cameron Lake. Highway 4 remains open between
Nanaimo and Port Alberni for now. Meanwhile,
the Bear Creek wildfire next to Harrison Lake
has grown to nearly 100 hectares. Some forestry
roads in the area are closed to campers. Tourists
are still able to visit Harrison Hot Springs.
And several new lightning -sparked wildfires
are burning in Washington State, just south of
the Canadian Okanagan. Smoke is visible from
Asuyus. Some parts of the southern B .C. interior
have had lightning strikes late Thursday and
early Friday morning. Other news, police blame
Speed & Booze in part for a deadly motorcycle
crash in Abbotsford. A rider died after colliding
with an SUV on Highway 11 near Township Line
Road early Thursday morning. That crash closed
the roads for several hours. B .C.'s opposition
critic for the Attorney General's ministry is
slamming the E .B. government. for not including
Surrey's extortion crisis in the mandate letters
to two NDP cabinet ministers. Richmond, Queensborough
conservative MLA Steve Cooner says the mandate
letters are supposed to outline priorities, but
notes the extortion cases aren't even mentioned.
Surrey and several other B .C. cities continue
to deal with arsons and shootings related to
the extortion of some business leaders in the
South Asian community. Donnie Van Dyke has been
named Vancouver's new city manager. He's making
the move from the same job in Delta. Before that,
he was city manager in Penticton. The new role
has him responsible for Vancouver's 9 ,600 employees
and $2 .3 billion annual operating budget. Cloudy
in the morning, but otherwise clearing by Friday
afternoon. Inland highs near 27 degrees. Sunshine
for Saturday and Sunday. For all the details
on these local Vancouver area stories, along
with those links, go to VancouverRundown .substack
.com.