More than 5,000 people across British Columbia are estimated to have been put under evacuation orders in the last 24 hours as the number of active wildfires surged past 100.
“We are currently in a complex and rapidly evolving emergency response here in B.C.,” said Kevin Dunbar, executive director of provincial response and recovery operations. “There are currently states of local emergencies in effect for First Nations and local authorities across the province.”
Since Saturday, Dunbar said, strong winds and changing conditions contributed to evacuation orders and alerts in several parts of the province.
The BC Wildfire Service reported earlier Sunday that dozens more fires had been sparked and expanded quickly due to high winds and lightning strikes.
The service said there were approximately 130 wildfires burning in the province, nearly half of which were considered out of control. About 30 more had been sparked in the past 24 hours, adding to the approximately 100 already burning.
Dunbar said with many active wildfires still burning, it’s not yet safe to determine how many structures have been impacted.
“It isn’t necessarily safe for folks to go in and really take stock of structure loss and impacts,” he said. “When it is safe to do so and when they’re able to, local authorities, local governments and First Nations will go in and do a damage assessment.”
Miller told reporters that drought conditions in southern B.C. are at record levels and are creating “explosive” fire behaviour, but he said there are some communities that would be considered more at risk than others.
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“Anyone who is on (evacuation) order is probably the most at risk,” Miller said. “If we put in a new evacuation order, that makes it to the top of the list of where we believe there might be the most risk to a said community.”
During an update on Sunday, Cliff Miller with BC Wildfire Service said a cold front that moved through the southern part of the province had some “very significant impacts” on existing and new fires.
With more fires anticipated, Miller said the province has “significant resources” coming into the province over the next three weeks, including from Mexico and Australia, as well as from other provinces, such as Alberta.
It’s estimated they also have more than 500 contractors engaged to help in the response, with 130 aviation helicopters engaged from different companies. As well, he said there’s a full air tanker fleet available.
Next few days give chance to get around fires
While the cold front on Saturday has passed, officials said heading into August there is still risk for the fires.
Over the next few days, there is an expected drop in temperature and “uptick” in relative humidity, but very little chance of rain.
“So it will give us a chance on some of these fires and to not see that explosive growth over the next 48 hours,” Miller said.
But another high pressure system in the forecast could lead to warm and dry conditions. A drop in winds, however, could help in the next three to four days in suppressing some of the fires.
Evacuation preparedness
With the risk of fires still prominent, Dunbar said people in communities at risk from wildfire should pre-register for emergency support services.
He also urged people to create and update their emergency plan and to prepare a grab-and-go bag for every member of the household, including pets. The bag should include enough supplies to be self-sufficient for 72 hours.
“We know that this is a very difficult and stressful time for those who’ve been evacuated,” he said.
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