State of emergency declared in B.C. over wildfires less than a month after one for COVID-19 ends
Less than a month after B.C. ended its record-breaking state of emergency due to COVID-19, the province is entering a new one.
This time, however, it's not because of the pandemic but because of wildfires in the province.
“Based on the advice of emergency management and wildfire officials, in my briefing last night on the worsening weather, I am declaring a provincial state of emergency,” said Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth in a news conference Tuesday.
“It will address the potential for a mass evacuation scenario and provide our government with the means to secure the accommodation spaces necessary to support the evacuees.”
Difficult weather in B.C.’s Interior is on the way over the next few days and both firefighting resources and emergency accommodations for evacuees are tight, Farnworth said.
“What is forecast may lead to more severe fire behaviour, and the potential for more evacuations,” he said.
Officials have been advising residents under evacuation alerts to consider lining up their own evacuation accommodations if possible.
“Contact friends and family to ensure you have somewhere to go, should the worst happen,” Farnworth said.
“While the province will continue to support anyone in need of emergency support services, having a plan ... (shows) that I care for those who have no other option.”
He also reminded people across the province to clean up their properties if possible and clear combustible materials.
“Whether that's trimming trees, clearing grass and gutters and helping your neighbours, you're not only helping to protect your property and those of your community, but also the firefighters who may be called on to protect it,” Farnworth said.
There are currently more than 3,000 firefighters on the wildfire frontlines.
Clint Chapman of the BC Wildfire Service also spoke at the news conference. He said that a total of 300,000 hectares of the province have already been burned, whereas the average for this time of year in B.C. is about 100,000 hectares.
“We are expecting what we call a ‘subtropical feed’ coming up from the United States which is going to bring significant wind into the South Coast Fire Centre and to the Interior of the province,” he said.
The outlook isn’t good, he said, and fire officials are relieved to know that 500 more personnel will be joining the frontlines in the next 10 days.
“What this means is that we are going to see our efforts on the fires that are on the landscape challenged, our control lines will be challenged and we have the potential to see significant fire behaviour across the province and particularly in the southern half of the province where the conditions remain extremely dry, and extremely volatile,” Chapman said.
Farnworth defended the fact that he didn’t declare a state of emergency earlier, even as some made public calls for him to do so. His decision to call the state of emergency now is based on the advice of professional experts and the hazardous weather they warned of, he said.
“Everything that we can possibly do in terms of securing resources is being done, and that's been in place since this this fire season started, and it started early.”
Farnworth said he doesn’t have an estimate of how much will need to be spent fighting wildfires this year.
“In terms of money spent what I'll say at this point is that we spend what's required to fight the fires,” he said.
The state of emergency goes into effect at midnight, and gives the minister power to assure that the province will have enough accommodations available if a massive evacuation order is put in place.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.