Sproat Lake boating death still being investigated Alberni Region, Page 3
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Wednesday, August 19, 2015
» Wildfires
Valley-based crew heads east While blazes spread across southeastern B.C., local incidents have subsided enough to just require patrols ERIC PLUMMER ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES
As the local situation dies down, the wildfire crew based in the Alberni Valley is awaiting provincial orders to be sent to southeast B.C. A number of blazes are spreading across the mainland region, including a fire west of Rock Creek that has grown to 3,750 hectares since it was discovered last week. At least 30 homes have either been destroyed or seriously damaged in the evacuated community, plus another 15 affected buildings. With 20 members, the Alberni Valley Thunderbirds are Vancouver Island’s only full-unit crew. Marg Drysdale, a fire information officer with the Coastal Fire Centre, said its a normal practice to send the team where situations burn hottest. “The T-birds are a provincial resource, so they’re called where they’re most needed,” she said. “They do a lot of heavy, demanding ground work.” Three-member initial attack crews remain available in Parksville, Campbell River and Cobble Hill. These small groups can be mobilized by air or ground, and
Forest fires started by lightning around Great Central Lake earlier this month have since died down, allowing more resources to be sent elsewhere in the province. [B.C. MINISTRY OF FORESTS, LANDS AND NATURAL RESOURCE OPERATIONS]
specialize in the first assessment of a forest fire to determine if air tankers or more personnel need to the dispatched. “They are the first people on scene, they take a reading on a fire and they will actually call back to the fire centre,” Drysdale said.
Meanwhile, the Dog Mountain fire by Sproat Lake — which is Vancouver Island’s largest incident this summer continues to burn off the remaining forest fuels. The 350-hectare fire is classified as fully contained by the Wildfire Management Branch, warranting periodic patrols. Some
of the cabins on the mountain are under an evacuation order due to hazardously unstable slopes. A number of fires were sparked around Great Central Lake during a lightning storm on Aug. 4, but those have since died down to the point of just requiring regular checks from wildfire authorities.
“They’ll continue to be in patrol for a little while,” Drysdale said. “They’ll just go back and take a look at them and make sure there’s no hot spots on them.” On the south of the Island a 250-hectare blaze continues to burn east of Port Renfrew, an uncontained fire that is believed to be human-caused. Air tankers and eight helicopters have attended to the fire, which is currently being handled by 123 personnel. “Smoke and fog has created a dangerous visibility issue for pilots and crew on the ground, as well as health hazards for local communities,” stated the Wildfire Management Branch. “This effect will continue with the expected poor venting over the next 24 hours.” So far this year almost 300,000 hectares have burned in British Columbia from 1,679 reported fires – a total short of the 369,169 hectares affected in 2014. Last year’s fire season saw the most forest burned in over a decade, an escalating situation that cost the province almost $300 million in suppression efforts. Eric.Plummer@avtimes.net
HEALTH
Woman struggles to find a live kidney donor “It is getting scary because my kidney function is dropping fast.”
KRISTI DOBSON ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES
Finding a live kidney donor has been like searching for a needle in a haystack for Sandra Thomas. When she was in her twenties, was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease, a genetic disorder that was passed down from her father. Although she was not surprised by the diagnosis, it has recently brought about an urgent search for a donor. The disease has affected ten family members on her father’s side and she has witnessed its progression firsthand. Four year ago, Thomas’ father passed away from complications of the disease which affected his heart, something she hopes to avoid. PKD causes cysts to form on the kidneys, which fill with fluid and enlarge the organ. From there, a person can develop high blood pressure and heart disease. The » Use your smartphone to jump to our Facebook page for updates on these stories or the latest breaking news.
Sandra Thomas, Alberni Valley resident awaiting a kidney
own health, she was hesitant to reach out for help. “The hardest and scariest part was watching my dad,” she said. “I learned a lot from him and I know the things I have to do to protect my heart. “He could never have been a heart or kidney recipient.” Two of Thomas’ four adult children have also inherited PKD. “I was most affected when it affected my children,” she said. Now that she is seeing a rapid decline in her own kidney function, Thomas is taking a proactive approach by searching for a donor.
THOMAS
kidney functions also start to decline, which can be gradual or rapid. When the kidney is functioning at 20 to 15 per cent in an affected person, a live donor transplant is an option. Right now Thomas is at 20 per cent. “I was at 25 per cent and then all of a sudden it dropped quickly,” she said. Although concerned about her
She has two main road blocks, however. Thomas has Type O blood and requires a donor to be Type O for a match. Even more challenging is that her body has developed antibodies to protect itself, but in turn would reject a large portion of donors in the province. “My antibodies would attack a kidney from 64 per cent of donors’ kidneys, but that leaves 36 per cent I could use, so there is someone out there,” she said. At the advice of her network of professionals at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, where transplants take place, Thomas began spreading the word about her situation. She set up a Facebook page and had 16 friends and family step forward. Of the 16, only two made it through the end of the extensive testing. She found out her body would not accept those kidneys. Thomas extended her search pub-
Bomber back in action
Tossed cig videotaped?
The Martin Mars water bomber is back in service after taking an unexpected hiatus due to the health of one of its operators.
Forestry minister says officals are looking for a video showing how a massive wildfire was started by a flicked cigarette.
» Alberni Region, 3
» Island & B.C., 5
licly with another online matching program and another eight people came forward. “For now it is a waiting game but it is getting scary because my kidney function is dropping fast,” she said. “It just takes time and I have to put it out there. The alternative would be a lifetime of dialysis, which would not only affect her daily life, but employment. “The beds in Port Alberni are full so I would have to travel or do dialysis at home,” she said. Thomas hopes to maintain her health as she waits for a compatible donor by staying hydrated and maintaining a special diet to control blood pressure. Anyone who is blood type O and willing to undergo further testing as a match for Thomas can call the Kidney Pre-Transplant Program at St. Paul’s Hospital at 604-806-9078. Kristi.Dobson@avtimes.net
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