British Columbia’s provincial state of emergency due to wildfire activity has been formally extended, until Sept. 12.
The Province declared a state of emergency Aug. 15 and it will now be in effect for an extra 14 days, though it could be extended or rescinded as necessary.
The declaration will continue to apply to the entire province to ensure all needed resources can be delivered in a co-ordinated response to the wildfire situation and continue to maintain public safety, which remains the provincial government’s top priority.
As of yesterday, 534 wildfires were burning in B.C., with 34 evacuation orders affecting roughly 3,200 people, plus 53 evacuation alerts impacting nearly 21,800 people.
The Province’s decision to extend the provincial state of emergency supports the significant amount of people who remain under evacuation orders and alerts.
The state of emergency gives agencies like the Emergency Management BC, the fire commissioner, the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, and the RCMP, the authority to take every action necessary to fight the wildfires and protect residents and their communities.
Declarations of provincial states of emergency may be issued by the minister responsible, or the lieutenant governor in council, under the Emergency Program Act.
The provincial government can extend the period of a declaration made by the minister responsible for further periods of time.
During the 2017 wildfire season, the Province was in a provincial state of emergency for 10 weeks, from July 7 to Sept. 15. The state of emergency was extended four times.
The most-recent provincial declaration of state of emergency before the 2017 wildfire season was issued in August 2003, to deal with wildfires.
For information on evacuation orders and alerts, visit Emergency Info BC: https://www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca/