Capital Daily for Sunday, July 19

One lightning strike near Sayward is now the Island's only out-of-control wildfire, along Highway 19 near the Eve River, estimated at 0.1 hectares Saturday morning.

It's part of a much bigger swing. On Wednesday morning B.C.'s firefighters faced about 20 blazes in what had been a quiet season. By Saturday there were roughly 113 burning across the province, with about 100 of them started since Friday. The BC Wildfire Service blames the storm system that dropped more than 4,000 lightning strikes on B.C. in a single day, 1,382 of them inside the Coastal Fire Centre.

Five fires landed on the Island north of Parksville, all discovered July 17 and all attributed to lightning. Three were being held, one was under control, and a sixth near Fanny Bay had its cause listed as under investigation before being brought under control Saturday afternoon.

Most of the damage is in the southern Interior. The Thompson-Nicola Regional District ordered 131 properties near Big Bar Lake and Meadow Lake evacuated Friday because of the Fiftynine Creek fire, which grew to about 40 square kilometres the same evening it was detected.

The 7-Eleven at 1327 Douglas is gone, and in its place there's a stage with an accessible ramp, three bathrooms and a community mural. On August 1st it opens as the Black & Here Community Centre, the first Black arts and culture community centre in the province.

The BC Black History Awareness Society has run programming in Greater Victoria since 1994 without ever having a room to call its own. To get this one, they teamed up with REP Here in Canada, a non-profit that supports newcomers and refugees. The two organizations split the rent, and split the difference on a name.

August 1st isn't a random date. It's Emancipation Day, marking the 1834 abolition of slavery across the British Empire. Executive director Jamila Douhaibi points out the freedom wasn't clean or immediate, and says that's exactly why the centre matters.

The grand opening runs at 7 p.m. with DJs, bands and catering, after a private ribbon-cutting with elders and board members. Early programming ideas from members include a tea for elders, a Friday-night choir and after-school study sessions for youth.