State of emergency declared, towns evacuated in B.C. as wildfires burn out of control

Desdemona Despair

By Maryse Zeidler
8 July 2017

(CBC News) – The province of British Columbia has declared a state of emergency, as wildfires burn out of control throughout most of the Interior.

“​The extended weather forecast is calling for continued hot, dry weather, with risks of thunderstorms in many parts of the province,” the province said in a written statement Friday.

The declaration gives emergency resources special authority to deal with the fires.

Wildfires burning out of control across the Interior have prompted the evacuation of at least one airport, two hospitals, an entire town and hundreds more homes throughout the region.

The B.C. Wildfire Service said 138 new fires started throughout the province on Friday, many of them started by lightning. [more]

Towns, homes evacuated in B.C. as wildfires burn out of control

9 July 2017 (BBC News) – A state of emergency has been declared by the Canadian province of British Columbia (BC) as it battles over 180 wildfires.

The federal government says it is monitoring the situation closely and is ready to provide assistance upon request.

CBC News reported that an estimated 7,000 people had been forced from their homes.

The fires threaten several communities in BC’s central interior region.

It is the first state of emergency declared by the province in 14 years.

The BC Wildfire Service said that lightning, strong winds and high heat were all contributing factors in the spread of the wildfires burning across hundreds of kilometres. [more]

Canada’s British Columbia battles wildfires