'We heard a loud pop': Windows blow out, blinds melt as Vancouver Island faces stifling heat wave
The full aftermath of a thermometer-bending heat wave on Canada’s West Coast is just now coming into focus.
Nearly a dozen areas on Vancouver Island saw record-setting heat on Monday as temperatures soared across the Pacific Northwest.
In the Mid-Island community of Chemainus, Korreen Magee saw the true power of this intense heat.
"It was the weirdest thing, all of a sudden we heard a loud pop, almost like it blew up," said Magee.
The island woman said she was shocked when two panels on her glass front door splintered in the heat.
Chemainus resident Korreen Magee says the extreme heat shattered one of her door windows: (Korreen Magee)
(Korreen Magee)
"At the time it was 29 inside the house and 39 outside, the door doesn’t get any direct sunlight,” Magee said in a Facebook chat.
In North Saanich, it wasn’t windows smashing in the sun, it was blinds melting in the heat.
Scott Osselton snapped photos of his outdoor blinds drooping in Sunday’s scorching sun.
Scott Osselton says his blinds were melting in the extreme heat in North Saanich: (Scott Osselton)
(Scott Osselton)
"I’ve had my windows smashed before, but never from the man upstairs," Thomas McKenna told CTV News Vancouver Island.
The Comox Valley resident said he parked his SUV at his home on Friday, as the heatwave began, and didn’t check it again until late Sunday night.
Walking up to his blue vehicle he noticed the passenger side window had splintered.
McKenna says there was absolutely no sign of someone breaking the window on purpose and judging from the temperature inside he’s sure the heat did the damage.
"It’s crazy, you wouldn’t expect that to happen," said McKenna.
On Monday, seven all-time temperature records fell on Vancouver Island.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE UPDATES Uncontained L.A. wildfires are still burning. Here's the latest as firefighters battle the flames
A series of wildfires are tearing through densely populated parts of the Los Angeles, Calif. area. Five people have been reported dead. About 130,000 have been asked to evacuate. Nearly 2,000 homes and other buildings have been destroyed after the fires charred about 108 square kilometres.
'True when I said it, true today': former Canadian PM Harper pushes back against Trump on social media
Former prime minister Stephen Harper doesn’t find U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s jibes about Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state very amusing.
NEW Tipping guide to Canada: When, where and how much to tip for restaurants, taxis and more
CTVNews.ca has created an entirely unofficial guide to tipping in Canada to help visitors, newcomers and curious Canadians navigate the shifting social norms of when, where and how much to tip.
Can the U.S. really make Canada the 51st state?
Talk of Canada becoming the 51st American state has raised an existential question on this side of the border: Could it be done? Could the maple leaf make way to the stars and stripes? According to several experts, it may be possible, but not painless.
Cape Breton police ask for public's help in finding Justin MacDonald's remains
Police in Cape Breton are asking for the public’s help in finding the remains of a missing man they believe was murdered.
Billy Crystal, Paris Hilton among celebrities whose homes were destroyed in L.A. wildfires
Paris Hilton, Adam Brody and Billy Crystal were among the celebrities who lost their homes in the devastating wildfires that swept through Los Angeles.
Suspicious deaths in Mahone Bay result of intimate partner violence: N.S. RCMP
The RCMP in Nova Scotia says two suspicious deaths in Mahone Bay, N.S., over the weekend were the result of intimate partner violence.
'This isn't just my mom's story,' says daughter of woman allegedly killed by partner
Abigail Robson says she moved from Nova Scotia to Alberta as a young girl with her mother 10 years ago for a fresh start.
Manitoba police chief believed dead following house fire
The remains of Manitoba First Nation Police Service’s (MFNPS) leader are believed to have been found following a fire at his home.