In an update from fire and emergency officials: more than 3,700 firefighting personnel continue to battle 563 wildfires (16 of which started on Tuesday) burning across British Columbia.
At this time, there are 37 evacuation orders across the province, affecting approximately 2,400 properties and just under 5,000 people. Additionally, 51 evacuation alerts are affecting over 11,000 properties and 23,000 people.
Emergency Management BC Director Chris Duffy says now is the best time to help out those who have been displaced.
“We’re looking to people who are no longer under an evacuation order to go home and create that capacity for people who really need that support,” says Duffy. “Commercial accommodations in some communities are stretched to capacity, so we’d like to see those people who can return home do that.”
Among those affected by the evacuation alerts and orders are 250 farmers and producers, as well as 13,000 livestock. However, Minister of Agriculture Lana Popham says steps are being taken to ensure that they’re being taken care of.
“We’re co-ordinating alternate grazing sites and organizing emergency feed,” says Popham. “We’re also arranging for ranchers in evacuated areas to access their ranches to check on their livestock that have been left behind.”
So far, approximately 2,000 cattle have been relocated. While Popham says she has received word of some cattle being destroyed by the fires, there’s no exact number for how many have been lost so far. Last year, approximately 35,000 livestock were affected during the worst fire season in the province's history.
Meanwhile, as firefighters continue to battle the blazes, the RCMP are lending their support to help with enforcement in affected communities.
“To date we’ve had over 600 police officers and civilian employees that have been a part of the additional resources mobilized and deployed throughout BC,” says RCMP Communications Director Dawn Roberts. “The resources are coming and going on a daily basis based on a rotational schedule.”
Around 48 members of the Alberta RCMP have also joined in this week, while personnel from the Yukon continue to help out in the northern parts of BC. RCMP patrols are also in place in areas affected by evacuation alerts and orders, and so far, no thefts or break-ins have been reported at evacuated properties.
Currently, total firefighting costs amount to $282.6 million, almost exactly half the cost from last year’s fire season.