Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised more federal help is coming to B.C., as hundreds of wildfires continue to rage across the province.
Ottawa has already dispatched military troops to support the province's wildfire fight, and on Wednesday Trudeau announced a new cabinet committee is being set up to coordinate further help.
"Our government is determined to support British Columbians in the wake of this devastation," Trudeau said in a statement. "With this new committee, we will work to address the urgent and long-term impacts of the wildfires, and will collaborate closely with Premier (John) Horgan and local authorities to support recovery and rebuilding efforts."
The committee will also work with local Indigenous leaders to ensure their communities are receiving the help they need, the government said.
Trudeau's announcement came as thousands of British Columbians remain displaced by evacuation orders, and firefighting crews remain busy dealing with more than 500 wildfires.
More than half a million hectares of land has been scorched by fires so far this season, which is the third worst wildfire season in B.C. history. Last year's was the worst ever recorded.
Though the biggest impacts have been felt in the Interior, the wildfire danger hit close to home for residents of the Lower Mainland this week after a string of urban interface fires.
On Tuesday, firefighters from Surrey and Langley worked together to battle a brush fire near Brydon Lagoon, and another forced evacuations by the West Vancouver waterfront less than 24 hours earlier.
It's unclear what caused Tuesday's fire to break out, but Acting Battalion Chief Dan McKintosh of the Surrey fire department said it's vital that the public keep the fire danger in mind.
"We haven't had very much rain at all in the last month and a half. Forests are very dry," McKintosh said. "If people can be safe in their walks through parks, it's very helpful."
The fire danger rating is currently either "extreme" or "high" across the vast majority of the province, including all of Metro Vancouver.
On Monday, another brush fire broke out in a forested area of Abbotsford, near the University of the Fraser Valley campus. Authorities suspect that blaze may have been sparked at a homeless camp.
After touring some the wildfire zones in the province on Tuesday, Premier Horgan highlighted the importance of preventative measures as B.C. faces more potentially destructive fires in the future.
"We need to be ready to go when the rains come to prepare for next year," Horgan told reporters.
The government has been acting on the recommendations from a report commissioned after last year's fire season, but only about half have been implemented so far, Horgan said.
"We were through half of the recommendations, then had to put the report down and get to work with this year's fires," he said.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Sarah MacDonald and Breanna Karstens-Smith
