Armed forces to begin helping with fire response as 77 new wildfires start over 2 days: BC Wildfire Service
New wildfires in British Columbia continue to ignite thanks to hot, dry conditions and sporadic thunderstorms with lightning across the Interior.
The BC Wildfire Service is anticipating troops from the Canadian Armed Forces will be arriving in the coming days.
“(We’re) expecting to receive some military assistance over the next number of days from the Canadian military,” said fire information officer Jean Strong.
Seventy-seven new blazes have sparked in the last two days, bringing the total number of active fires to 175.
Of those, 11 are wildfires of note, meaning they are highly visible or pose a potential risk to public safety.
A number of evacuation orders remain in place. Officials say that lightning strikes are what ignited most of the fires.
“We do continue to see heightened activity across the province, especially in Prince George Fire Center, Caribou Fire Center, and the Kamloops Fire Center,” Strong said.
“In the evening last night, and throughout the night, we did see a number of new ignitions in different areas around the province, including one near Logan Lake that is resulting in potential evacuations.”
On Friday, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said the federal government had established a forward operating location in Edmonton, with one Hercules aircraft and two Chinook helicopters as well as 350 troops.
A call for assistance has also been made to other provinces, with the hope they can send firefighters and equipment to B.C.
In the event that other provinces are not able to fulfill the need, the BC Wildfire Service said it will seek help from international partners who may be able to dispatch crews to the province.
“Additionally, we've seen some really fabulous support from structural fire departments around the province, especially in that Little Creek area with structure protection departments providing personnel and equipment,” said Strong.
BC Wildfire Service was unable to provide an approximate number of people or properties currently under evacuation order across the province.
Correction
July 3: This story has been updated from a previous version to correct the day that Sajjan spoke of the armed forces helping in the wildfire fight. The minister spoke about it on Friday, not Thursday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Shooting outside of Drake's Bridle Path mansion, 1 person seriously injured: source
Toronto police are investigating a shooting that took place outside of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion early Tuesday morning, a source tells CP24.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Quebec to limit sperm donations per donor after 3 men from same family father hundreds of children
Quebec is looking at tightening the regulations around sperm donation in the province following the release of a documentary that revealed three men from the same family fathered hundreds of children.
How to overcome 'savings guilt' when you're living paycheque to paycheque
As the higher cost of living continues to squeeze household budgets, many Canadians find they have even less left over at the end of every month to squirrel away for the future.
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.