BC declares a Provincial State of Emergency

Todd Stone, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Emergency Management BC, this evening announced a provincial state of emergency to ensure a co-ordinated response to the current wildfire situation and to ensure public safety.

On Friday alone, BC Wildfire reported there were 138 new wildfire starts throughout the province. Evacuation alerts and orders have been issued for Ashcroft, Cache Creek and Princeton. These are in addition to the evacuation orders and alerts issued yesterday for 105 Mile House and 108 Mile House. The extended weather forecast is calling for continued hot, dry weather, with risks of thunderstorms in many parts of the province.

Given the current wildfire situation and the expected increase in wildfire activity, the Province is taking this extraordinary measure of declaring a provincial state of emergency.

This is an urgent situation and public safety is the top priority. The Province will continue to keep the public informed in this rapidly evolving situation.

The state of emergency gives agencies such as Emergency Management BC, the Fire Commissioner, the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and the RCMP authority under the Emergency Program Act to take every action necessary to fight these wildfires and protect residents and their communities.

Message from BC Wildfire

"Today has been one of B.C.'s busiest wildfire days in recent memory. We have had 138 confirmed wildfire starts across the province, primarily in the central interior. Lightning, high temperatures, and strong winds were contributing factors. Many of these wildfires are demonstrating aggressive fire behaviour. The BC Wildfire service and local emergency services are responding to fires and working to keep the public and our communities safe."

In Addition:

BC RCMP Assisting With Fires Ask for Continued Patience

RCMP resources from around the province of British Columbia are being deployed to assist with a multitude of fires burning in both the Southeast and North Districts of the province. The RCMP’s primary responsibility is to support emergency operations and ensure the safety of people and the communities.

“While we recognize your frustrations with not being permitted to be in or return to your residences and communities, we ask for your continued patience and understanding”, says Cpl. Janelle Shoihet spokesperson for the BC RCMP. “The fire situation is fluid and continues to unfold and your safety remains our priority. Directions given by emergency personnel are done so to ensure the safety of those living in the communities affected by the fires, communities adjacent to those areas and the emergency personnel working in the affected areas”.

There are numerous road closures in effect, we ask you avoid evacuation areas to permit those attempting to leave the area, to do so efficiently and safely.

The most up to date information with respect to;

-Road closures can be found at www.drivebc.ca.

-Wildfires can be found at www.bcwildfire.ca or on Twitter @BCGovFireInfo

-Evacuation Orders can be found at www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca or on Twitter @EmergencyInfoBC

The RCMP in B.C. are monitoring the situation and working closely with the BC Wildfire Service and other first responders to determine resource needs. Additional police resources will be deployed to support emergency operations. The RCMP also has plans and support in place to ensure police response to non-fire related calls are not impacted.

BC RCMP will continue to provide updates at www.bc.rcmp-grc.gc.ca, on Twitter @BCRCMP and on Facebook at BCRCMPNews