British Columbia·Feature

After dark: The best overnight news photos of 2018

From fires and floods to unlikely heroes and once-in-a-lifetime astronomical events, CBC video journalist Gian-Paolo Mendoza shares some of his favourite photos taken while you were sleeping this past year.

CBC video journalist Gian-Paolo Mendoza shares some of his favourite shots taken while you were sleeping

(Gian-Paolo Mendoza/CBC)

A lot happens in Metro Vancouver during the hours people are usually sleeping. 

From fires, flooding and storms to unlikely heroes and extremely rare astronomical events, CBC video journalist Gian-Paolo Mendoza recaps and shares some of his favourite photos taken overnight this past year.

1. Driver escapes unharmed after lamppost falls on car

'It was really close to my windshield," said Olson, who was stopped at a red light when a traffic lamp came down on top of her. (Gian-Paolo Mendoza/CBC)

Half a metre separated Jasmine Olson and a street light that toppled onto her car during a heavy windstorm in Vancouver in January. Olson was stopped at a red light when the lamp post fell.

2. Candle-lit proposal mistaken for dumpster fire

(Gian-Paolo Mendoza/CBC)

A romantic candle-lit evening didn't go as planned for a young man in Burnaby attempting to propose to his partner in November. Someone saw the dozens of candles lit up in the middle of a cul-de-sac and called the fire department, thinking there was a fire in a dumpster. Firefighters quickly arrived at the scene but left as soon as they discovered what was going on. It's unclear if the man's partner said yes.

3. Fire consumes East Vancouver print shop

A ladder unit is just barely visible through the thick smoke from the fire. (Gian-Paolo Mendoza/CBC)

Residents of the Strathcona neighbourhood were warned to shut their windows due to smoke from an aggressive fire burning in a print shop near East Hastings Street near Clark Drive in April.

4. 'Super blue blood moon' soars over B.C.

(Gian-Paolo Mendoza/CBC)

The first lunar eclipse of the year saw a blood-red moon hovering over the night sky in Vancouver in late January. The lunar event was a combination of a super moon, blue moon and a lunar eclipse — ​a combination that had not been seen in North America for more than 150 years.

5. Tactical police team deployed to Mount Seymour

(Gian-Paolo Mendoza/CBC)

A bizarre story that saw several heavily armed police officers descend upon a popular hiking trail on Mount Seymour amid heavy snow, after reports that someone had been stabbed on the Dog Mountain trail. Assisted by members of North Shore Rescue, the RCMP Emergency Response Team (ERT) came across two men with knife wounds whom they said knew each other. Police have not said whether either was arrested or charged.

6. Passersby resuscitate man hit by semi-trailer

(Gian-Paolo Mendoza/CBC)

Two 23-year-old men from Abbotsford who witnessed a semi-truck hit a pedestrian in Pitt Meadows may have saved the victim's life. Neither Matt Burnett or Jeremy Scholing had ever performed CPR before, but were able to buy the man enough time for paramedics to arrive and get him to hospital. A representative from St. John's Ambulance told CBC News later that morning the two men could qualify for a lifesaving award from the organization. The man's condition is unknown.

7. Crews fight forest fire near Horseshoe Bay

(Gian-Paolo Mendoza/CBC)

West Vancouver fire crews had challenges putting out a forest fire burning near Horseshoe Bay in early August. It came during the peak of B.C.'s worst wildfire season on record, during which close to 13,000 square kilometres of the province was burned. You can watch a timelapse of the fire here.

8. Heavy rainfall leads to foot-deep flooding

(Gian-Paolo Mendoza/CBC)

The evening of Oct. 28 was a chaotic night on several Metro Vancouver roads after a heavy bout of rainfall saw deep pooling water on some major arteries. Several drivers had to abandon their vehicles after they stalled while trying to drive through the middle of massive puddles.

9. Fire destroys century-old home in West End

(Gian-Paolo Mendoza/CBC)

A fast-moving fire in downtown Vancouver in January destroyed a house built in the early 1900s. Vancouver Fire and Rescue said the construction materials used for the home helped the fire spread quickly. Several residents were also forced out of their homes in the multi-unit building.

10. 15-year-old bystander killed in shooting on Broadway

Police at the scene of the shooting on Broadway. (Gian-Paolo Mendoza/CBC)

"We can't recall something like this happening in our city in a very long time ... It's heartbreaking," said Vancouver Chief Const. Adam Palmer following a shooting near Broadway and Ontario Street that claimed the life of a young boy. The intended target, 23-year-old Kevin Whiteside, was also killed in the attack. Police still have no suspects in custody.

Follow Gian-Paolo Mendoza on Instagram and Twitter

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gian-Paolo Mendoza

Video Producer

Gian-Paolo (GP) Mendoza is a video producer and drone operator with CBC Vancouver. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @gpsmendoza.