Telegraph Creek, British Columbia
Bishop asks for prayers as wildfire rages
Wildfire has destroyed a Catholic mission church, rectory and multiple homes in a small community in the Diocese of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, north-west Canada. The wildfire began with a lightning strike on August 1. A state of emergency was declared three days later, all residents of Telegraph Creek were told to evacuate, and fled to nearby communities. “Many people are in complete distress and broken because they are finding themselves with nothing,” said Bishop Hector Vila of Whitehorse in a letter to Canadian bishops asking for prayers and donations. The British Columbia Wildfire Service said that 136 firefighters and 12 helicopters were fighting the fire.
