Global National: July 25, 2026 | Growth in BC wildfires forces more evacuations

On this Saturday night, wildfire fight.The growing number of evacuation orders in BC, and why officials say the water system in one community was vandalized.

The frustrating thing is it shouldn't ever happen.Nobody should be in there.

As wildfires in Europe force hundreds of thousands to evacuate.Also tonight, airport expansion grounded.Why the federal government is blocking Ontario's plans for Toronto's Island Airport.Plus, biting back.

I got like 30 bites in about 10 seconds.

While the prairies are dealing with a population explosion of mosquitoes.

Global National reporting tonight Jeff Semple.

After a slow start, the wildfire season in B .C.is now heating up.This Pear Lake wildfire grew overnight, forcing the evacuation of the historic village of Clinton, northwest of Kamloops.Fire crews worked through the night and saved the community from any major loss, but their fight is far from over.Good evening and thank you for joining us.

Another challenging day for residents and fire crews in B .C.More than 120 wildfires are burning in that province tonight.Nearly half of those are out of control with more high winds in the forecast.Here's a look at where the wildfires are concentrated tonight.In the northwest, two fires in particular, that Pear Lake wildfire and the 59 Creek wildfire, forced the evacuation of Clinton.

Hundreds of residents packed what they could and made their way to an evacuation center in loops.

You know when it a um it's really like, oh w right?So and you know wh just people just skitteri and I saw people crying ayou know, and we're just trying to keep it together.

I am hoping for the best and I'm rooting that the town of Clinton, you know, keeps everything down in par.

Taya Fast is in Cache Creek for us tonight.

The wildfire situation around Clinton remains volatile.Firefighters spent much of the evening protecting the community as another day of active fire behavior threatens to push the Big Bar complex further.The biggest change over t on the Pear Lake wildfire behavior pushed flames ac burning around both sides north.Crews were also fo fire camp from Clinton to fire activity made the si did go on either side of and continue to progress wildfire says while tempe little cooler saturday, d continue to leave fuels c winds are expected to pic the complex.Officials s expecting any meaningful crews are preparing for an And police in another evacuated community in B .

C.are now investigating after the water system was vandalized.Officials in Boston Bar in B .C.'s Fraser Canyon had shut off the water supply in that area to preserve water for firefighting efforts.But on Thursday, someone turned it back on and in doing so caused damage to the system.

We had enough to contend with with the wildfires, and then now we have this damage to our water infrastructure.The frustrating thing is it shouldn't ever happen.Nobody should be in there.It's an evacuation area.It's illegal for people to even be in that area.

Officials say the vandalism could have caused a catastrophe.failure of the water system but fortunately staff were able to contain the problem and shut the water off.The extent of the damage remains unclear and officials say repairs could be costly and could delay residents return once the evacuation orders are lifted.The smoke from those Canadian wildfires is drifting south of the border and appears to be top of mind for the U .S.President.

Donald Trump is again threatening tariffs, blaming Canada for not doing enough to prevent the wildfire smoke from crossing the border.The President once again taking to social media today to vent those frustrations.Jillian Piper reports on Trump's latest threats and concerns that the federal government's cuts are hurting its wildfire response.

Nearly 1 ,000 wildfires are blazing across the country, forcing Canadians from their homes.But the U .S.president not offering any sympathy.

We're going to put a big tariff on Canada because of the smoke.

Donald Trump promising another economic headache over Canadian wildfire smoke spilling into the U .S.The same week British Columbia was hit with air quality warnings from American wildfires.His irritation on full display in a new post depicting Canada and the U .S.being divided by a North America air filter barrier.

I've told Canada they have to do something about it.You know, we've never had this problem.All of a sudden, we have this problem with Canada.

This is our time of need, and Mexico is stepping up.

The prime minister thanking Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum for deploying 200 firefighters to fight the blazes, seemingly taking a jab at Trump.

That's what friends do when you have crisis and fires.

During one of the most intense seasons on record, the Public Service Union warns Mark Carney is cutting nearly half of the federal employees who identify and assign resources to national emergencies, including wildfires.

Cuts mean fewer Parks Canada firefighters, slower responses in a time of a crisis and weaker recovery hours.

The federal government disputes the union's claim saying the government operations center is still at full capacity despite having nearly 10 % fewer permanent employees this year than last year.but would not tell Global News how many employees will be cut in the ongoing expenditure review, saying the staffing changes, to the greatest extent possible, are being implemented through attrition and voluntary departures.

It's just devastating news for Canadians.

The Conservatives call the cuts reckless.

When Canadians need emergency services the most, Mark Carney actually cut the very people, cut jobs from the very people who coordinate the response to wildfires across the country.

The federal cuts come as the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs is concerned about whether Canada has enough resources on the ground to fight the growing flames, reporting a deficit of roughly 15 ,000 firefighters nationwide.

Wildfires in France and Spain have now displaced more than 250 ,000 people.Take a look at this map showing the fires burning right now in France, including in the Bordeaux area.In a typical year, France would normally see around 15 fires.But so far this year, the country has recorded more than 350, burning around 100 ,000 hectares, making this by far France's worst wildfire season on record.As Candace Cole reports, they're now calling for reinforcements.

Hundreds of thousands of people in France and Spain have evacuated their homes as wildfires threaten to consume everything in their path.This evacuee from a town in southwestern France, about 15 kilometers from Bordeaux, saying leaving in a hurry is stressful, but they have no choice.Bordeaux's mayor says between 5 ,000 and 6 ,000 evacuees from the surrounding area are being housed in the city's evacuation center, with a capacity toup to 10 ,000 people.Here, around the Capere Peninsula, France has deployed one of its military planes to spray retardant over the Lacanau Forest to assist firefighters.And some residents are joining in that effort, including 20 -year -old Louane Pacaz.

She says putting out the smaller fires are important because this is where she and her friends grew up, saying it's horrible to watch their homes burn.And in central Spain, where wildfires are burning around Avila and Madrid, resources are expected to come in from Greece and Italy, along with the deployment of over 100 Portuguese army personnel to help fight the flames.In Madrid, evacuees say they saw clouds of smoke rising when they got the message to get to safety.This woman says she panicked a little, then took her cat and left.In addition to rescuing residents, Spanish firefighters are rescuing livestock as well, as the fires threaten rural farmland.The wildfires come after weeks of record heat across Europe.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Saturday the weekend provides a window of opportunity to bring the wildfires under control with temperatures expected to rise close to 40 degrees next week.Candace Cole, Global News, Washington.

And coming up later in the newscast, our Mike Armstrong will take a closer look at what's fueling Europe's fires and why scientists fear they could become the new normal.And breaking news from Berlin now.At least one person is dead and 15 injured after police say a car drove into the crowd during the city's pride parade.Police say several of the victims have suffered life -threatening injuries and a manhunt is now underway for any suspects.The annual pride celebration is Germany's first.attended by hundreds of thousands of people, and has now been shut down.

Turning to other news, a Canadian working for NATO in Belgium has just been arrested on spying charges.Belgian prosecutors say the woman, who is of Chinese origin, is suspected of spying on behalf of a foreign country and of being a member of a criminal organization.She was working as an intern at NATO's military operations headquarters.That organization, known as SHAPE, is responsible for planning and carrying out operations on behalf of the 32 -member security alliance.Ontario Premier Doug Ford's plans to force through an expansion of Toronto's Billy Bishop Airport appear to have been grounded.The federal transport minister kiboshed the proposal last night after a flood of opposition from the city.

But as Lexi Benedict reports, the province isn't giving up the fight for larger flights just yet.

After months of fighting over the future of Billy Bishop Airport, the federal government has grounded Ontario's expansion plans.It's a decision advocates who have been pushing to protect Toronto's waterfront are calling a major victory.Democratic action has won know, people from all acr Canada spoke up and the f and we won the fight on f Minister Stephen McKinnon will focus exclusively on already underway at the a an end to the Ford govern the airport to accommodate adding that no plans will quote, infringe on treas Norway Park or Hanlon's P in elevated noise, have s impacts or hinder Toronto needed housing.His comme of a two week public consthan 87 ,000 people took of responses against the for listening.

Thank you f We will continue our partn create a beautiful place.

of the importance of con other parts of the countr comes months after Premie passed legislation allowi the city of Toronto in an airport.But while the p taking off, the fight may Ontario's transportation province remains commit expansion, but that any protect public spaces and raised by the federal go including the protection Mayor Olivia chow is now to return the city owned l part of the expansion pro are not expanding the air battle, we will remain vi is ever another threat fo airport, we will be there again.Meantime, the Tor which owns and operates t will work to fulfill this the needs of the city and the region are met for the future.Lexi Benedict, Global News.

White House Correspondents Dinner do over.Coming up, the annual gathering of American political journalists was held last night after the event in April was interrupted by gunfire.We'll have the highlights and lowlights from the U .S.President's speech.Plus, why this year's mosquito season has an extra bite.

For the first time in nearly two weeks, there have been no reported U .strikes on Iran today, but violence is flaring up in nearby Yemen.Yemen's Houthi rebels claim to have hit oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, though Saudi authorities haven't confirmed the strikes.Saudi Arabia launched attacks on the Iran -backed Houthis this week after they threatened to block shipping and attacked Saudi vessels in the Red Sea.More deadly tit -for -tat strikes between Ukraine and Russia.Ukrainian drones targeted this warehouse belonging to Russia's largest e -commerce company.

The latest in a string of Ukrainian strikes meant to disrupt the Russian economy.Russian officials also claimed 12 people, including four children, were killed from a strike on a holiday camp in the Russian -controlled Zaporizhia region.Those attacks follow more Russian bombardments in and around Kiev yesterday, which killed at least 10 people and injured 100 others.India's weeks -long cockroach protests are now claiming victory after the government met their demands, including the resignation of the education minister.Jubilation among thousands in the streets upon news that the minister was stepping down.Organizers also officially ended the protests after meeting with the Modi government, announcing that it had agreed to all of their demands.

They include broad reforms to India's education system and no legal action against the demonstrators.The youth -led protests began with calls for education reform following a major scandal over leaked college entry exams.It then spiraled into a nationwide movement over economic frustrations and government accountability.U .S.President Donald Trump returned to the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner last night in Washington.

In his hour -long speech, the president cracked jokes, hurled insults at his political rivals, and even made an awkward quip about running for a third term.

I won three times, now I'm going to do it again.Thank you.

Most of Trump's jokes failed to land, including when he criticized a female CNN reporter for never smiling and even compared her to a trans woman.The annual event to celebrate press freedom was rescheduled after the original dinner was interrupted when a man forced his way through a security checkpoint and fired a gun outside the ballroom.Deepening drought still ahead.Why experts warn this summer's record wildfires in Europe are a symptom of a larger problem.Returning to one of our top stories, the record number of wildfires burning in France and Spain.Those fires are being fueled by a drought that's stretching across much of Europe.

But those dangerously dry conditions aren't simply the result of a lack of rain.As Mike Armstrong explains, scientists worry this summer is a sign of wildfire seasons to come.

Local mayor calls this fire in southwestern France a worst -case scenario.Every factor that can contribute to making this fire season worse has shown up at the same time.They've had little rain, strong winds, and very dry conditions.France's civil protection spokesperson says the drought conditions are worse than anyone fighting the fires remembers.In fact, they're the worst, he says, ever recorded.Now, the flames tend to grab the headlines, but this is a crisis that stretches far beyond the burn zones.

Across Europe, relentless heat is deepening drought, drying forests, damaging crops, and draining rivers.In Hungary Friday, a major bridge over the Danube River had to be closed for a timeafter low water levels exposed a German Second World War shell.Bomb disposal technicians had to be brought in.Further down the Danube, in Croatia, the low water levels have exposed a shipwreck.The Fulton was carrying coal when it sank in 1937.

The town's mayor says no one, even the oldest residents, can remember the water being so low.Experts say what's made the drought so severe isn't simply a lack of rain.It's the heat.Extreme heat waves, one after another, are pulling moisture from rivers, soil and vegetation faster than it can be replaced.That evaporation is causing problems across borders and economies.Low water levels on parts of the Rhine in Germany have meant some cargo ships can only run at 20 % full, increasing costs.

In agriculture, there are estimates drought will cost farmers an estimated nine million tons of grain.Scientists say extreme heat is changing the way drought forms in Europe.Increasingly, it's not just about the rain that fails to fall, but the water the heat takes away.Mike Armstrong, Global News, Montreal.

Coming back to bite you up next, why this summer is seeing a surge in mosquitoes.Being of two spiritual cultures in Saskatchewan, a group of monks, most of them from Tibet, attended a powwow at the Big River First Nation.The visit was initiated by a local indigenous leader who befriended one of the monks many years ago.

During the powwow, the monks offered their prayers and afterward, many people commented on how peaceful and positive the atmosphere felt.A lot of the visitorsdespite the heat, they were able to enjoy the weekend because the energy on the grounds felt so uplifting.

The monks spent about a week at a nearby First Nation, taking part in various cultural exchanges.The prairies are known for a large number of bloodthirsty mosquitoes, though recent years had offered a reprieve.Counts were down.But this summer, the tiny pests are back with a vengeance.Edmonton's mosquito population has hit its highest level since the 1980s.Well, in Saskatchewan, the bugs are so bad that bug spray is now in short supply.

Ashley Beerings reports on what's driving the insect invasion.

last night, went in the b like 30 bites in about 10 in Saskatchewan are way u year over year and beatin In Saskatoon traps, there 168 this week.That's co per trap last year.At th 12 traps throughout the c of 200 this week.Last ye of 10 just outside of Reg are over 400 compared to j have seen the uptick to w with mosquito spray sold Some retailers have even how many bottles a person the other week I went to in a row trying to find crazy.

City of Saskatoon the rainfall and hot weat breeding ground for mosq is a huge increase, it co because of years of drou that I report 12 mosquitoes that's, you know, 10 years they definitely feel bad of that might also just b used to seeing as many mo city has been trying to h Our teams will go out afte event to go see if theremeet that threshold, they known as bacillus thuring It's a mosquito killing b mosquitoes and closely re are asked to clear or co yards and cut grass short with everyone doing what t pesky biters.

They're not They like dark colors, so if you do your research, you're OK.

Ashley Behrens, Global News.

And that is Global National for this Saturday.I'm Jeff Semple.Tonight's your Canada is an aerial view of English Harbour West in Newfoundland and Labrador.Thanks for watching.Hope to see you back here again tomorrow.Have a great night.