VANCOUVER

Ottawa contributes $100M to B.C. wildfire relief efforts: Horgan

The Canadian Press Published Thursday, November 23, 2017 2:18PM PST

B.C. Premier John Horgan and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are given a tour of the Williams Lake Wildfire Command Centre on July 31, 2017. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)

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VICTORIA - Premier John Horgan says the federal government is matching British Columbia's $100-million fund to support ongoing wildfire relief programs.

Horgan says the $100 million federal contribution will help residents, businesses and communities in the Interior as they recover from last summer's unprecedented wildfire season.

A provincial state of emergency was declared last July after a number of communities were evacuated and homes were destroyed.

The state of emergency was lifted in September but fires charred more than 11,700 hectares of forests, ranch lands and communities.

B.C.'s wildfire service says it has spent more than $510 million fighting fires this year.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Horgan toured the wildfire zone last summer in a Canadian Forces helicopter, and both pledged to support relief efforts.