Crews battling the Nanaimo Lakes wildfire. File photo.
In support of the response to the ongoing wildfire situation in B.C., the province has declared a state of emergency.
On a recommendation from wildfire and emergency management officials, public safety minister and solicitor general Mike Farnworth made the declaration Wednesday morning.
The state of emergency is applied to ensure federal, provincial and local resources can be delivered to protect the public and is in effect for two weeks.
“Public safety is always our first priority and, as wildfire activity is expected to increase, this is a progressive step in our wildfire response to make sure British Columbia has access to any and all resources necessary,” Farnworth said in a release.
“Taking this step will further ensure we can protect the public, property and infrastructure, and assist with firefighting efforts.”
The province says there are 566 wildfires burning in B.C., with 29 evacuation orders and 48 evacuation alerts which have combined to impact more than 21,000 people.
An evacuation order west of the Nanaimo Lakes fire, which is holding at 182 hectares and is 50 per cent contained, has been downgraded to an alert, while the evacuation alert was lifted Saturday for properties east of the fire.
There are more than 40 wildfires burning on the north Island that were sparked by lightning over the weekend.
The government says more than 3,300 firefighters and contractors are battling blazes in all fire regions in B.C. and the federal government has committed more personnel and resources to arrive in the coming days.
This is the second year in a row the province has declared a state of emergency, which lasted for 10 weeks from July 10 to September 15 during the 2017 wildfire season.
The last time B.C. had declared a state of emergency prior to last year was August 2003 to deal with wildfires.
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