‘Persistent’ Bears Force Crews Tackling Canada Wildfires to Abandon Area

Fire crews battling the ongoing wildfires in Canada have been pulled out of one spot because of "persistent" bears roaming the area.

The British Columbia Wildfire Service said Thursday that it had made the decision to get 160 personnel away from the camp near Goldbridge, which was housing those working on the Downton Lake wildfire.

"This was required to ensure the safety of personnel following persistent bear activity within and around the camp," the service said on X.

"Conservations offers are assessing and advising on plans to safely return personnel to an appropriate location to continue working toward objectives on the Downton Lake wildfire."

Earlier this week, bears were seen roaming the streets of Yellowknife, after being forced from their homes because of the fires.

Canada has spent the past two months dealing with wildfires across the country. As of Thursday, 422 continued to burn across British Columbia alone, with nearly 28,000 properties under evacuation alert.

At the Downton Lake fire, some relief came Wednesday into Thursday as a few rain showers arrived, making it a little easier for firefighters forced to leave to nearby Lillooet.

"BC Wildfire Service is deeply grateful to its partners, including the T’it’q’et First Nation, Lillooet municipality and the Lillooet Tribal Council, for generously sharing facilities, expertise and insight and extending a warm welcome to all fire suppression personnel in the area," the Service added.