State of Emergency Extended

BC’s premier has extended the provincial state of emergency due to the wildfires for another two weeks.

John Horgan says the nearly month old declaration is now in place until Aug. 18th.

“The state of emergency declaration will continue to apply to the whole province,” says Horgan. “This ensures that federal, provincial and local resources can be delivered in a co-ordinated response to the wildfire situation and continue to ensure public safety, which remains the provincial government’s top priority.”

The province will also continue to provide financial support to evacuees, with $600-per-household funding, every two weeks until evacuees return home.

There are 122 wildfires burning in BC today, with about 71-hundred people on evacuation order, and another 25-thousand on evacuation alert.

It’s the first state of emergency in BC since the wildfires in 2003.

Photo courtesy of BC Wildfire Service