B.C. government declares province-wide state of emergency over wildfire situation
CTV
The B.C. government has declared a province-wide state of emergency due to the growing number of aggressive wildfires threatening communities.
The B.C. government has declared a province-wide state of emergency due to the growing number of aggressive wildfires threatening communities.
Premier David Eby announced the declaration at a news conference Friday, following a challenging 24 hours that saw fast-spreading wildfires trigger thousands of new evacuation orders and alerts across the province.
"We are declaring a provincial state of emergency to ensure we have access to any tools that we may need to respond to this situation," Eby said.
Earlier in the day, B.C.'s emergency management minister suggested a state of emergency was unnecessary – though the premier revealed there was a "rapid deterioration" of the wildfire situation over the course of Friday afternoon.
The number of evacuees province-wide tripled to 15,000 in a single hour, Eby said. Upwards of 23,000 other residents are on evacuation alert, meaning they must be prepared to flee on short notice.
Eby urged the public to closely monitor wildfire updates, and comply with any evacuation orders that are issued. Fire crews and RCMP officers had to re-enter evacuation zones overnight to pull people from their homes, even as massive fires were growing at alarming rates nearby.
"Please don't put firefighters at risk by staying in your home if you're under an evacuation order," the premier said.
