Elevate your local knowledge

Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!

Select Region

Selecting your primary region ensures you get the stories that matter to you first.

Cooler weather allows B.C. government to cancel state of emergency

Cooler weather allows B.C. government to cancel state of emergency | iNFOnews.ca
The Shovel Lake wildfire burns on a mountain above Fraser Lake near Fort Fraser, B.C., on Thursday August 23, 2018. The British Columbia government has cancelled the state of emergency it declared in August when hundreds of wildfires covered the province. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

VICTORIA – The British Columbia government has cancelled the state of emergency it declared in August when hundreds of wildfires covered the province.

The government says cooler weather and progress in containing the forest fires means the powers granted under the provincial state of emergency are no longer required.

There's been a significant reduction in the number of properties under evacuation order and a news release says many residents have been allowed to return home.

The declaration was made to ensure public safety and the co-ordinated response to the summer wildfire season that has seen more than 13,000 square kilometres burned.

The wildfire season isn't over with 485 fires still burning, 19 evacuation orders in place covering about 2,000 people, and evacuation alerts affect almost 4,900 residents.

This is the second year in a row a state of emergency was declared over the wildfires, but last year's declaration remained in place from early July to mid-September.

News from © iNFOnews.ca, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

Marshall Jones

News is best when it's local, relevant, timely and interesting. That's our focus every day.

We are on the ground in Penticton, Vernon, Kelowna and Kamloops to bring you the stories that matter most.

Marshall may call West Kelowna home, but after 16 years in local news and 14 in the Okanagan, he knows better than to tell readers in other communities what is "news' to them. He relies on resident reporters to reflect their own community priorities and needs. As the newsroom leader, his job is making those reporters better, ensuring accuracy, fairness and meeting the highest standards of journalism.

Related Articles