"It's all up to God now," she said. : Fires threaten Canadian town

[Guest guest]

Fires threaten Canadian town

 

 

Flames shot 60 metres (200 feet) into the air above nearby forests

Up to 30,000 residents of the British Columbian town of Kelowna have been told to evacuate by authorities as a wall of fire closes in around them.

Witnesses reported seeing "towers of flames" casting an orange glow on the night sky outside of the western Canadian city on Friday night, as the 42,000-acre (17,000-hectare) fire raged.

 

About 10,000 of the town's 100,000 residents were initially told to evacuate after fires - thought to have been started by a lightening storm - breached containment lines on 15 August.

 

Many were given only minutes to leave their homes in Kelowna - located in Canada's Okanagan region about 185 miles (300 kilometres) east of the capital, Vancouver.

 

Now an additional 20,000 people have been told to evacuate as the huge blaze sweeps into the southern suburbs.

 

Relentless

 

The BBC's Ian Gunn, in Vancouver, says these are the worst wildfires the region has ever seen.

 

Everything in the fire's path has been reduced to a fine white ash, leaving only chimneys and the concrete foundations of houses, our correspondent adds.

 

British Colombia Premier Gordon Campbell said the fires seemed "endless" from the air.

 

He said lack of rain was the foremost factor in the region's battle against the fire epidemic.

 

"This is the driest year we've ever had. The last time that we had a year this dry was 1929," he added.

 

Residents, choked by ash and smoke in the valley below, fear both for themselves and for relatives.

 

"I've lived here all my life, and I can't believe this," said Debbie Curylo, 44, adding that the fires were spreading to an area where her sisters live.

 

"It's all up to God now," she said.

 

Wider effects

 

No casualties have yet been reported. But 15 homes have been damaged or destroyed by the flames.

 

Canada's Okanagan region - roughly the size of France and Germany combined - is home to Western Canada's wine industry.

 

Fires are ravaging vineyards and have forced the closure of at least one winery, reports say.

 

Timber companies have been forced to withdraw their logging crews, driving up lumber prices up on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

 

More than 3,000 firefighters are continuing to contain 800 fires over 630 square miles (1,600 square kilometres) of forest in British Columbia since they began on 1 April.

 

 

[gHari]

Anyone know how the Hare Krsna farming community there is doing? Apparently a lot depends on the winds.

[Guest guest]

Fire In Saranagati Dhama

 

BY BHAKTIN KATIE

 

SARANAGATI, BRITISH COLUMBIA, Aug 17 (VNN) — Hare Krishna, please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!!

 

My name is Bhaktin Katie and I live in Saranagati, BC and tonight we were evacuated due to a fire that was unable to be contained coming up the road into our valley.

 

As of yet, no one has been hurt.

 

The devotees have been given shelter in the nearby town of Ashcroft BC while we wait for news of our Ashramas.

 

We beg your prayers to Lord Nrsimhadeva for the safety of the devotees, animals and valley.

 

Thank you and Hare Krishna,

 

Bhaktin Katie

[gHari]

I checked a map and the two burning towns are 100 miles apart. Not hearing from anyone from the farm is not a good sign. They likely had no insurance; saranagatied to the Lord's desire as it were.

[Guest guest]

 

I talked to Mahojvala dd (wife of Trilokanath)last night and she said all the devotees were evacuated from the farm and the area around Ashcroft but they were all put up in hotels and the danger has passed enough so that they have all been able to return to the farm and to thier respective homes. She said that the road leading to the farm acted as a natural fire-wall to prevent the fire from going any further.

[Guest guest]

The Lord protects His surrendered devotees at Saranagati Farm.

All glories to the Supreme Divine Protector Sri Krishna!!!

[livingentity]

Extinquishing the Forest Fire