B.C. extends state of emergency as over 250 wildfires burn across the province

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      As wildfires continue to blaze across B.C. and with potential for more to arise, the provincial government is taking measures to ensure it has ability to respond in urgent situations.

      The B.C. government announced today (August 3) that it is extending the provincial state of emergency, declared on July 21, until August 18 in support of the response to the wildfires, which includes people currently under evacuation orders and alerts, and the potential for mass evacuations.

      As of this morning (August 3), there were 254 wildfires burning across B.C., and 64 evacuation orders affecting approximately 4,305 properties.

      In addition, there are 99 evacuation alerts that affect approximately 21,049 properties.

      Emergency Management B.C. states in a news release that “current weather forecasts may lead to more severe fire behavior and the potential for more evacuations”.

      According to the B.C. Forests Ministry, 1,308 wildfires have burned 555,904 hectares of land since April 1.

      Currently, there are 3,245 firefighters and other personnel battling fires, 301 out-of-province firefighters, and 212 helicopters and planes supporting ground crews.

       

      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at @cinecraig or on Facebook.

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