Quesnel Cariboo Observer readers were captivated by the summer’s wildfires, as well as local crime stories this year.
Here, we share our website’s top stories of 2018, based on webpage views.
15. Provincial red tape denies Quesnel family access to home, ranch land (November, 2018)
Aging wooden planks are stacked in a clearing near a dilapidated bridge that crosses the Fraser River onto Diamond Island, an almost-hidden land mass in the middle of the river near Alexandria.
The planks, now greying, with tall grasses pushing up around the stacks, were purchased by landowners Zach Falkenstein and his mother Maggie Falkenstein about five years ago, to re-do the bridge decking that year. But the repairs never happened. Read more >>
14. Crews work to contain Narcosli Creek Fire, Blackwater River Fire increases in size (August, 2018)
The BC Wildfire Service has provided an update this morning (Aug. 12) on the Wildfires of Note near Quesnel.
On the Narcosli Creek Fire, night operations with heavy equipment worked throughout the night, says the BC Wildfire Service. However, due to clear skies today, fire behaviour has increased. Crews will now focus on the south and east flanks to gain containment. Read more >>
13. Quesnel local charged with second degree murder (July, 2018)
Quesnel local Kristopher Edward Leclair has been charged with one count of second degree murder and one count of attempt to commit murder in connection with a stabbing that allegedly occurred on July 21, 2018, the BC Prosecution Service has confirmed. Read more >>
12. Man dead, woman in critical condition after reported stabbing in Quesnel (July, 2018)
A 48-year-old man is dead and a 52-year-old woman has serious injuries after Quesnel RCMP received a report that multiple individuals had been stabbed on Saturday (July 21) over the city’s Billy Barker Days festival weekend.
Police attended a residence on Hilborn Road on Two Mile Flat on Saturday afternoon, where they found the victims. Read more >>
11. Local First Nation forgoes hunting rights to help save moose population (June, 2018)
Heading into the forest in his traditional First Nations territory both west and east of the Fraser River south of Quesnel, ?Esdilagh First Nation (Alexandria) band manager Chad Stump says there is a noticeable lack of moose.
The Cariboo First Nation is worried about the drastically declining population due to hunting and the effects of wildfires. This is why ?Esdilagh has reached out to the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service (COS), and will sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the law enforcement body on Friday (June 15), which will put ?Esdilagh members under the COS’ jurisdiction when it comes to hunting moose. Read more >>
10. Highway 97 North open to single-lane alternating traffic (March, 2018)
Drive BC is reporting that Highway 97 North is closed in both directions 20km south of Hixon due to a fatal vehicle incident. At 8:19 this morning RCMP responded to a two-vehicle crash south of Dunkley Lumber, in which two trucks collided head on. One person has died at the scene. Read more >>
9. One arrested after G.R. Baker Hospital doors damaged in attempted robbery (August, 2018)
At around midnight Aug. 11, a suspect or suspects drove into the doors of the G.R. Baker Memorial Hospital and attempted to steal an ATM. An officer on the scene says they are still looking for the suspects in question, and could not confirm whether it was a car or a truck that drove into the doors. Read more >>
8. BREAKING: Two men sent to hospital following West Quesnel shooting (September, 2018)
Two men have been sent to hospital with non-life threatening injuries following a shooting at approximately 4:30 a.m. on Thursday morning on Abbott Drive (Sept. 6). “At 4:30 this morning we received calls of gunshots heard at the 900 block of Abbott Drive. We responded, located evidence of a shooting in that area,” said Sgt. Chris Riddle of the Quesnel RCMP on Thursday morning. Read more >>
7. Fires near Quesnel demonstrate ‘aggressive growth’ (August, 2018)
Two fires near Quesnel have demonstrated aggressive growth today (Thursday, Aug. 9).
The fire north of Tzenzaicut Lake has grown from 25 hectares earlier this afternoon to 1,200 hectares as of around 8 p.m. Tzenzaicut Lake is around 60 kilometres southwest of Quesnel on the west side of the Fraser River and is known locally as Fish Lake. Read more >>
6. Wildfires of Note in Quesnel Fire Zone continue to grow (August, 2018)
The Wildfires of Note in the Quesnel Fire Zone have grown, as updates from the BC Wildfire Service show.
The Narcosli Creek Fire is now estimated at 3,100 hectares, growing from 1,200 hectares. It remains zero per cent contained. It is approximately 31 km southwest of Quesnel. Read more >>
5. B.C. city wakes up to darkness under wildfire smoke (August, 2018)
The wildfire smoke has become so thick in B.C. that it’s blocking the sun in some communities.
People in Prince George woke up to dark skies Friday morning, looking out as if it were nighttime, until mid-morning when the haze started to thin. The air had turned much cooler as well. Read more >>
4. A comprehensive look at evacuation orders, alerts and fires in the Quesnel Fire Zone, Aug. 11 (August, 2018)
Approximately 5,986 properties are currently on evacuation alert in the Quesnel Fire Zone, while another 901 properties near the north western Cariboo Regional District boundary are on an evacuation order. Read more >>
3. West Quesnel neighbourhood on lock down (March, 2018)
The Quesnel RCMP and the North District Emergency Response Team have locked down an area in West Quesnel this morning, for what RCMP described as a major police incident.
The Emergency Response Team deals with situations where extreme danger/firearms are above the ability of detachments or other policing partners. Read more >>
2. SPCA seizes 16 dogs from property in Quesnel (July, 2018)
Sixteen dogs have been seized from a property in Quesnel by the BC SPCA.
A July 4 press release from the SPCA says the dogs were being kept in crates too small for their size in a poorly ventilated area, with little or no access to water and with feces/urine-soaked matting. Read more >>
And our most-read story of the year:
1. BREAKING: evacuation alert issued from Narcosli Creek north to West Quesnel (August, 2018)
The Cariboo Regional District and City of Quesnel have just issued an evacuation alert for the Narcosli Creek area north to West Quesnel, with all city properties on evacuation alert west of the Fraser River. Read more >>
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