As 2015 wraps up it’s always interesting to know what caught our readers’ attention. We asked you to vote on B.C.’s biggest news stories, but here’s a look at what readers clicked on the most in 2015.
So as we bid adieu to the year, here’s a look at the top five most-read stories in B.C.
1. Fires raging across B.C. as concern for the summer deepens (July 5, 2015)
Over a four day period in July, 18 fires started in British Columbia on the Monday. Thirty-fix fires started Saturday, 21 started Sunday, and 32 on Friday. At one point there were 185 active wildfires as of Monday.
A haze blanketed the majority of people in B.C., as winds brought smoke from fires in Pemberton to people in Vancouver and Victoria. The Metro Vancouver Air Quality Health Index went to 10+, or “Very High Risk”.
Following on the heels of fires springing up across B.C. that July weekend, it was also the first full weekend of enhanced water restrictions.
Overall, this year’s fire season was high. Despite significant water restrictions and fire bans across the province, the costs kept going up as the stretch of drought-like weather conditions continued throughout much of July.
BY THE NUMBERS: A look at B.C.’s wildfire fighting costs this year
By the B.C. Day long weekend, the province was faced with a bill that was three times the original wildfire fighting budget ($170,151,391). That number went up to over $255 million by the end of August.
Despite cooler temperatures and more precipitation in the month of September, the costs kept climbing and have now reached nearly $272 million (as of Sept. 18).
WATCH: Jordan Armstrong reports on a weekend of fires burning all over British Columbia
2. Kristi Gordon responds to haters criticizing her pregnancy wardrobe (March 27, 2015)
Global BC meteorologist Kristi Gordon received a letter.
The letter was from a viewer who had an opinion about what Kristi was wearing on the air. Kristi was pregnant with her second child and when she became pregnant this time, she asked viewers to be kind to her about her choice of attire. When she was pregnant with her first child she received numerous letters and messages criticizing her for her style of dress.
The letter reignited that conversation and it went viral.
WATCH: When Kristi announced her pregnancy, she asked people to not get upset with her about what she wears during her pregnancy. “It was horrible last time.”
3. Man who removed turban to aid child hit by car gets amazing surprise (May 25, 2015)
Twenty-two-year-old Harman Singh earned global acclaim after photographs emerged of him removing his turban to aid a car accident victim in Auckland, New Zealand on May 15.
The gesture carried special significance as Singh, a practicing Sikh, is forbidden by religious tenet from removing his turban except in the most private of situations, such as a bath or shower.
But after six-year-old Daejon Pahia was struck by a car while on his way to school, Singh decided to break strict religious protocol and use his turban to stem the bleeding from the boy’s head wound.
WATCH: The Sikh man who gained worldwide attention for removing his turban to aid a car accident victim gets a surprise of his own
4. Suspect in deadly shooting of 2 Virginia journalists dies after shooting self (August 26, 2015)
A reporter and a cameraman, both in their 20s, were gunned down during a live television broadcast by an alleged former colleague in Virginia.
Reporter Alison Parker, 24, and photographer Adam Ward, 27, of WDBJ-7 a local television station in Moneta, Va., were shot at close range with a handgun in the middle of an interview at Bridgewater Plaza.
WARNING: This story and above video contains images and details that may be disturbing to some viewers. Discretion is advised.
The gunman, identified as Vester Lee Flanagan II, 41, also known as Bryce Williams, was fired in 2013 from WDBJ. He fled the scene and posted video of the killings on Facebook and Twitter.
Police said the suspect shot himself on Interstate 66 after a vehicle pursuit. The suspect ran his vehicle from the road and was found suffering from a gunshot wound, police said. He was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries and died just before 1:30 p.m. ET.
5. Five confirmed dead after whale-watching boat sinks near Tofino (October 26, 2015)
The Leviathan II, a 20-metre cruiser vessel with 27 people on board, sunk near Tofino, B.C., eventually leaving six people dead.
It happened near Plover Reefs, west of Vargas Island on Oct. 25.
The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre confirmed there were five confirmed fatalities after the sinking and one person was missing. UK Foreign Secretary confirmed the five fatalities were British and ranged in age from 18 to 76 years old.
The BC Coroners Service identified the five victims as Britons David Thomas, 50, and his 18 year-old son Stephen; Jack Slater, 76, a British national living in Toronto; Katie Taylor, a 29-year-old Briton living in Whistler, B.C., and 63-year-old Nigel Hooker of Southampton, England.
Rav Pillay, the 27-year-old missing man from Australia, was found deceased about a month later.
Several days following the accident, the whale-watching ship was refloated and examined by the Transportation Safety Board (TSB).
Comments