Widespread rain in the forecast today throughout much of British Columbia's southern Interior is expected to aid firefighters push back against a number of major wildfires in the region. A man sits under an umbrella on a dock while fishing for perch and whitefish on the Fraser River as rain falls, in Richmond, B.C., on Monday, July 24, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
VANCOUVER – Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma says British Columbia is extending a state of emergency over the ongoing wildfires that have devastated parts of the province.
Ma says the two-week extension is needed in case additional extraordinary orders under the Emergency Act are needed to respond to the fires.
She says the past couple days have seen a “positive trend” in the fire fight as communities downgrade evacuation orders, allowing thousands to return home.
But she says 4,200 people in B.C. remain on evacuation order, with 65,000 on evacuation alert to be ready to leave their homes at short notice.
Ma says recent rain shows the province is “slowly moving past the worst part of this wildfire season,” which is the most severe on record.
However, she says the province was far from being in the clear.
The BC Wildfire Service website shows 422 active fires across the province, with 195 burning out of control and 12 listed as “fires of note” due to their high visibility or potential threat to the public.
This year’s record wildfire season has already burned 19,111 square kilometres of land in B.C., with 72 per cent of the more than 2,000 fires recorded so far being triggered by lightning.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 31, 2023.
