According to Emergency Management BC, there are 108 Evacuation Alerts, and 63 Evacuation Orders throughout the province.
Pader Brach with Emergency Management BC said there are 14 reception centres for emergency support services across the province.
“I’ll just list some of those locations. So that’s 100 Mile House, Chilliwack, Cold Stream, Kelowna, Merritt, Oliver, Penticton, Prince George, Quesnel, Salmon Arm, Seabird Island for First Nations near Agassiz and Sts’ailes First Nation, Williams Lake and Vernon.”
Brach said there are 87 evacuees using group lodging at the moment, and that they are trying to keep evacuees close to home.
Katrine Conroy and Rick Manwaring, Minister and Deputy Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development gave updates on the fires raging across the province.
According to Manwaring, there have been 1,453 wildfires in BC since April 1st, with almost 652,000 hectares burned.
The ten-year average is 905 fires burned in the same time period, with 140,000 hectares burned.
263 active wildfires are in the province, with 185 of them as natural causes, and 16 of them being human-caused.
Conroy pleaded with those affected by the fires to follow Evacuation Orders and Area Restrictions when necessary.
“I know people are scared and frustrated, and it’s human nature to want to protect what’s yours and what you’ve worked for years to create. But I can tell you it’s just too dangerous to stay behind. You simply put your life and the lives of others at risk.”
Looking at the wildfires broken down by fire centres, there are:
- 57 active fires in the Prince George Fire Centre, four of them are of note.
- 32 active fires in the Cariboo Fire Centre, four of those are of note.
- six in the Northwest Fire Centre, with the Chief Louie Lake fire of note.