Expect more evacuation orders and alerts, B.C. wildfire officials warn

B.C. officials said the wildfire situation in the province is "rapidly evolving," telling residents they may see more evacuation orders and alerts in the coming days.

There are currently around 430 active wildfires, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS). The vast majority of them are caused by lightning, and around 60 per cent of them are considered by the service to be out of control.

These fires have placed thousands of people under alert, while hundreds have had to flee.

Several buildings have also been lost, including two homes in Wells, B.C., and six in theVenables Valley, according to local leaders.

"This past week has been difficult for many people and communities, and we are expecting more challenging days ahead,"B.C. Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma said in a news conference Wednesday.

"Right now, we are asking everyone to take steps to be prepared."

WATCH | Officials provide an update on B.C. wildfires:

B.C. officials provide wildfires update

1 month ago

Duration 48:19

B.C.'s Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma, Minister of Forests Bruce Ralston and other officials provide an update on wildfires in the province.

Ma encouraged residents who have to evacuate to call their insurance provider once they're safe and outside the evacuation order area to understand how they'll cover living expenses.

Ma said those without an insurance provider can register for emergency support services, which are available for anyone who needs help meeting basic needs such as accommodationand food during an evacuation order.

A persistent heat wave throughout July has dried out forests in many parts of B.C., setting the stage for potentially extreme fire behaviour.

B.C. is seeing increasingly hotter, drier summers and fire seasons that start earlier and last longer than they did a decade ago, and Environment Canada expects wildfires to grow more intense and happen more often thanks to human-caused climate change.

On Wednesday, stormy weather is expected to continue in the north, and the Interior is forecastto keep seeing strong winds.

A water quality notice was also issued in Lac La Hache, in the B.C. Interior, due to a depletion of a local water reservoir.

On Vancouver Island, the Capital Regional District said a fire near Sooke could also impact water quality there, but officials said Wednesdaythe wildfire does not currently pose a risk to the Greater Victoria water system.

Despite the unstable conditions, progress has been made on some of the notable wildfires.

On Tuesday, the BCWS listed the River Valley wildfire in Williams Lake, B.C., as being held, which means crews don't expect it to expand at this point. The city subsequently lifted its evacuation alert that afternoon.

There continues to be four wildfires of note, which are those that are "highly visible or pose a potential threat to public safety," according to the BCWS. These are the Antler Creek, Shetland Creek, Aylwin Creek and Komonko Creek fires.

WATCH | Tourists flee to B.C:

Kamloops was our only hope: Jasper wildfire evacuees pour into B.C.

1 month ago

Duration 2:18

Thousands of Jasper wildfire evacuees have poured across the Alberta border and into Kamloops and other B.C. communities, using the only road open to them.

B.C. opens doors to evacuees from Alberta

While B.C. deals with fires, it has also opened its doors to hundreds of wildfire evacuees fleeing Jasper, Alta., and the Jasper National Park Tuesday.

A welcome centre was immediately set up inValemount,B.C., a community of about 1,000 people, with residentsoffering space in homes andbusinesses to help evacuees looping back to Calgary or Grande Prairie.

The B.C. governmentwarned that the province didn't have the capacity to take in thousands of evacuees.

Government officials say at least10,000 peoplewere forced to evacuate from the mountain town of Jasperand an estimated 15,000 visitorsin the national parkwere told to leave late Monday night as wildfire advanced toward the community.

Maapplauded British Columbians for helping Albertaevacuees.

"They assisted them through harrowing times," Ma said. "People opened their hearts and their homes to evacuees that needed support."

FederalEmergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjansaid he's been incontact with his counterparts in B.C. and Alberta and that the federal government is closely monitoring the wildfire situation.

"We're making sure that close co-ordination is taking place in all levels, making sure that all the resources are getting to the right spot, not only to fight the wildfires, but also making sure that the evacuees get the support that they need," he said.

Canada will also be receiving firefighting help from Mexico and South Africa,Sajjansaid, in addition to crews that have already arrived from New Zealand and Australia.