BC wildfires by the numbers: Nearly 340,000 hectares burned

It’s not even August and British Columbia is already experiencing one of its most difficult wildfire seasons on record.

A state of emergency has been declared, but with resources stretched thin and the weather forecast not cooperating, there appears to be no end in sight.

Since April 1, there have been 1,168 wildfires across the province that have burned 338,897 hectares of land.

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Here’s a look at how BC’s wildfire situation looks at of 7 pm on Wednesday:

There are currently 277 fires burning in the province:

• Kamloops Fire Centre - 102
• Southeast Fire Centre - 61
• Prince George Fire Centre - 58
• Cariboo Fire Centre - 44
• Coastal Fire Centre - 8
• Northwest Fire Centre - 4

As a result of these fires, there are 50 evacuation orders and 79 evacuation alerts in place that are affecting 4,351 and 17,691 properties respectively.

The majority of those are found in Emergency Management BC’s Central region, which covers a similar area as the Kamloops Fire Centre.

• Central - 34 orders and 44 alerts
• Southeast - 9 orders and 12 alerts
• Northeast - 4 orders and 16 alerts
• Northwest - 3 orders and 5 alerts
• Southwest - 0 orders and 2 alerts

There are 3,123 firefighters and other personnel who are fighting BC’s wildfires, who are being supported by 178 helicopters and planes.

You can visit the BC Wildfire Service website for all the latest updates on the province’s ongoing wildfire situation.