File photo.
With wildfires continuing to burn across the province, the B.C. government says the state of emergency has been extended another two weeks.
A province-wide state of emergency was declared Aug. 15 and as of Wednesday morning, there are 534 wildfires in B.C. with 34 evacuation orders affecting about 3,200 people.
One of those is in the village of Zeballos on northern Vancouver Island because of the estimated 168 hectare Gold Valley Main fire.
53 evacuation alerts have impacted nearly 22,000 people.
The measure to extend the state of emergency ensures all the resources needed for public safety can be delivered.
When touring wildfire-ravaged areas of central B.C. last week, Premier John Horgan said it was “unprecedented” for the province to declare the second state of emergency in the last 12 months after floods this spring.
But the province has said there is enough money in the contingency budget to support firefighting efforts and help those who have been affected.
Last year, the province spent 10 weeks in a state of emergency because of wildfires, which was extended four times until it ended Sep. 15.
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