To ensure a co-ordinated response to the current wildfire situation in British Columbia and to ensure public safety, Todd Stone, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Emergency Management BC, announced on July 7 a provincial state of emergency.

The state of emergency gives agencies such as Emergency Management BC, the Fire Commissioner, the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and the RCMP authority under the Emergency Program Act to take every action necessary to fight these wildfires and protect residents and their communities.

View an interactive map of BC wildfires here: http://openmaps.gov.bc.ca/kml/wildfire/map.html

Keep up-to-date on the provincial wildfire situation: www.bcwildfire.ca

For information on evacuation orders and alerts, visit Emergency Info BC: https://www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca/