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Oliver RCMP recover roughly $10K in gear stolen from Willowbrook Volunteer Fire Department

After a devastating theft from the Willowbrook Volunteer Fire Department this week, police are happy to report that thanks to help from the public,...

Willowbrook Volunteer Fire Department devastated by break-in and theft costing thousands

The Willowbrook Volunteer Fire Department have suffered a devastating break-in, and are now hoping the community can help them recover some of their...

Traffic flowing again on Highway 97

UPDATE: 2:50 p.m. Traffic is flowing once again on Highway 97 and all vehicles have been removed from the scene. ORIGINAL: 1:15 p.m. The Oliver Fire...

Anarchist Mountain Fire Department chief reflects on a busy summer

It was a Saturday that started out pretty much like many weekends before for the Anarchist Mountain Fire Department (AMFD). The AMFD volunteers had...

Anarchist fire department defends against border-hopping fires

The Anarchist Mountain Fire Rescue (AMFR), is one of 11 Canadian communities awarded $15,000 under a new program of wildfire prevention grants...

Local buisnesses put on a BBQ in appreciation of local firefighters

Local businesses in Oliver got together to honour and show their appreciation for local firefighters this weekend with a BBQ. The Black Sage Butcher,...

Evacuation alert remains

UPDATE: 7:15 p.m. An evacuation alert for more than 200 properties remains in effect around the Eagle Bluff Wildfire. In an update to the 2 a.m....

'The true cost of service': Fire chief reflects on fight to save Osoyoos homes from wildfire

Call it a firefighter’s instinct, but smelling a hint of wildfire wafting in the breeze on Saturday afternoon at around 4 p.m., Osoyoos Fire...

Oliver honouring retiring fire chief, welcoming new one

Oliver is honouring its retiring fire chief and welcoming the man who will fill his shoes. Outgoing fire chief Bob Graham has put 33 dedicated years...

Osoyoos fire chief immensely proud of his firefighters

On a hillside overlooking Osoyoos, a firefight unlike any other took place on Saturday night as the Eagle Bluff wildfire raged across the border...

Search and Rescue crews play low profile but crucial role during civil emergencies like wildfire evacuations

What many people may not realize is the important role that BC’s 78 Search and Rescue (SAR) groups play during wildfire events. During interface...

Furious at fire department

Oliver town council got an earful Monday from a group of residents outraged by the reinstatement of a volunteer firefighter after he entered a peace...

Cops for Kids will soon be rolling into Oliver

The annual Cops for Kids Ride hits the road next month, with plans to ride through the Oliver Fire Department around 3 p.m. on their way to Osoyoos. ...

Willowbrook Volunteer Fire Department asks for public's help in identifying theft suspect

The Willowbrook Volunteer Fire Department is asking for help after an upsetting break-and-enter was attempted on their equipment Sunday morning....

South Okanagan sheriffs, cops, first responders head into frigid water tanks to celebrate money raised for Special Olympics

First responders including police, fire, sheriff and ambulance workers had to jump into some frigid water outside of the Oliver Fire Department on...

Fire department suspensions too harsh?

The Oliver Fire Department has been suspended. The department as a whole will be facing consequences, including suspension, following the theft of...

Baby stable after icy crash

UPDATE: 3:15 p.m. RCMP have disclosed that the dead passenger in an accident outside Osoyoos Friday morning was a 24-year-old man. A northbound...

Osoyoos fire department gets major boost

The Osoyoos Fire Department now has $25,000 worth of new equipment thanks to a successful grant application. A Union of BC Municipalities grant...

Fire crews protect Shrike subdivision as Nk'Mip fire conditions prove challenging

UPDATE: 4:15 p.m. A new fire camp has been set up at Desert Park Equine Centre in Osoyoos for crews battling the forest fires in the region, including...

Regional fire departments receive funding for training and equipment

Fire departments across the Southern Interior will share in nearly $2.1 million in provincial government funding for training and equipment. The...

Home destroyed in blaze

UPDATE: 8:45 p.m. Oliver Fire Department spokesperson Rob Graham confirms crews are still on scene at a structure fire off Wilson Mountain Road in...

Top environmental story of the year: B.C.'s brutal wildfire season

Castanet is revisiting the top stories of an eventful 2023. Today for our environmental story of the year, we look at the destruction caused by the...

Wildfire being held

UPDATE 10:50 a.m. The B.C. Wildfire Service says a total of six crew members attacked the Atsiklak Creek fire overnight. Two people are currently on...

Power has been restored to thousands of South Okanagan homes

UPDATE: 11:10 a.m. Power has now been fully restored to the more than 3,000 homes in the South Okanagan, following the early morning outage. UPDATE:...

South Okanagan community mourns loss of 'beloved' elected official for rural Oliver

UPDATE: 4:16 p.m. The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen is extending their condolences to the family and friends of Rick Knodel, Electoral...

Firefighter passes suddenly

The Oliver Fire Department has announced the death of one of its members. “It is with heavy hearts the Oliver Fire Department announces the...

Head-on crash at 5 a.m.

Oliver fire crews responded to the scene of a two-vehicle collision early Saturday morning near Leighton Crescent. The pair of cars had crashed...

Massive blaze flattens barn

A barn south of Oliver was destroyed by fire early Thursday. The Oliver Fire Department was called to the property south of Greasewood Avenue around 3...

Gas line break repaired

A natural gas line break in Oliver led to a response by emergency crews Tuesday morning. The Oliver Fire Department requested shortly before 11 a.m....

Grass fires 'little bit strange'

UPDATE: 11:15 a.m. Oliver Fire Department media officer Rob Graham said he was surprised by not one but two grass fires in the past week. "It is...

Tickets available for the BC Volunteer Firefighter Spring Training Seminar held in Oliver

Tickets are now on sale for the BC Volunteer Firefighter Spring Training Seminar, hosted by the Oliver Volunteer Fire Rescue Society. According to the...

Woman escapes flames

One woman is safe after fleeing flames in her Oliver home Tuesday evening. The Oliver Fire Department was called to reports of smoke and fire at a...

Pig, dog perish in car crash

A pig and a dog perished when a vehicle plunged into an oxbow north of Osoyoos on Friday afternoon. Crews responded to the accident on Road 22 at...

Fire at U.S. border decreases by 17 hectares, locals remain on evacuation alert

UPDATE 10:45 a.m. The Washington State fire in the area of Sunset Ridge Road southeast of Osoyoos, igniting Saturday morning, has decreased in size by...

Truck with hay up in flames

Fire crews in Oliver doused a fire on the back of a truck that was carrying hay, Friday afternoon. The blaze happened at about 2 p.m. on McKinney Road...

Trailer burns down to frame

The Oliver Fire Department was called to a trailer fire early this morning on the Osoyoos Indian Band reserve. Firefighters were called to 3890...

Firefighters serving breakfast

The Oliver Volunteer Fire Department is hosting its annual charity drive thru breakfast this Saturday. Residents are invited out to the fire hall...

Smoking water truck ditched

Emergency crews responded to a smoking water truck ditched in rural Oliver Saturday, which they believed had been stolen. The truck's brakes were...

Back-to-back river rescues

Crews in Oliver were busy on Friday evening with back-to-back rescues on the Okanagan River — first locating a missing man before bringing four...

Interesting promo tactic?

The Oliver Fire Department is hosting its bi-annual spring seminar in May, and this year they've shed some light on the course with an eccentric...