Send this page to someone via email Our live coverage of this year’s wildfires has now ended. This post will no longer be updated. B.C. is still dealing with back-to-back record wildfire seasons, with more than 1.349 million hectares burned. On Sept. 7, the B.C. government ended the province-wide state of emergency, in place since Aug. 15. As of Monday, Sept. 17, there are 11 “wildfires of note” burning across B.C. Wildfires of note are wildfires which are highly visible or which pose a potential threat to public safety. WATCH: Premier Horgan tours the B.C. central fire zone and meets with evacuees 1:37 Premier Horgan tours the B.C. central fire zone and meets with evacuees Premier Horgan tours the B.C. central fire zone and meets with evacuees – Aug 21, 2018 Two are in the Prince George Fire Centre, eight in the Northwest Fire Centre and one in the Coastal Fire Centre. Story continues below advertisement There have been more than 2,050 fires reported since April 1, costing the province $450 million. READ MORE: BC Wildfire Service puts Kamloops Fire Centre blazes on top of priority list The BC Wildfire Service has provided a map of where the fires are located (it may not load in high traffic times so you might need to be patient). The larger icons are the wildfires of note. FULL COVERAGE: Wildfires burning around B.C. WATCH: Coverage of wildfires this year on Globalnews.ca Story continues below advertisement The fire was caused by lightning. Prince George Fire Centre View image in full screen The Chutanli Lake wildfire. Courtesy of B.C. Wildfire Service. Chutanli Lake The 20,813-hectare wildfire is burning approximately 135 kilometres southwest of Prince George. The fire is also located 11 kilometres northeast of Tatelkuz Lake, 23 kilometres west of Titetown and two to three kilometres west of Batnuni. It is 95 per cent contained and is considered being held. The Kluskus FSR is now open to all traffic. However, the Martin Road, Blue Road and Grey Road remain closed due to fire activity. For details, go to the Cariboo Regional District website and the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako website. Story continues below advertisement North of Tezzeron Lake This wildfire is 10,602 hectares in size and is burning 106 kilometres northwest of Vanderhoof and 13 kilometres south of Inzana Lake. It is now 40 per cent contained and being held. Crews are building hand line in the south east of the fire between Dolphin Lake and the Hat Road. Hotspots are being dealt with on the northeast of Dolphin Lake. The Hat Creek FSR and Hat Creek Connector are closed, and could remain so for the coming weeks. The fire is also burning back towards the Leo Road, however it remains open. You can find up to date evacuation orders and alerts for the entire region here. Coastal Fire Centre Tweedsmuir Complex Located within Tweedsmuir Park, this complex consists of the Dean River, Ramsey Creek, Tesla Lake and Pondosy Bay fires. The fire is estimated to be 301,549 hectares in size and is zero per cent contained. This group of fires has shown little growth for some time. Some sections of the fires in the north Tweedsmuir area are receiving snow, and the latest satellite imaging has not recorded heat for the past four days. This indicates that, while the fires are not out, the activity is so low that it cannot be recorded by this technology. Story continues below advertisement Portions of Tweedsmuir Park are closed. You can find details through the Regional Distrit of Bulkley-Nechaco, the Cariboo Regional District, and the Central Coast Regional District. Evacuation alerts and orders are in place for impacted areas. For more information please contact the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako at www.rdbn.bc.ca, the Cariboo Regional District at www.cariboord.bc.ca and the Central Coast Regional District at www.ccrd-bc.ca View image in full screen The Tweedsmuir Complex fire from the air. Courtesy of the B.C. Wildfire Service. Northwest B.C. View image in full screen The Shovel Lake fire. Credit: Twyla Lee. Shovel Lake This 92,255-hectare wildfire is burning about six kilometres north of the community of Fraser Lake. Story continues below advertisement There are 87 firefighters on scene, along with four helicopters and four pieces of heavy equipment. The Shovel Lake Fire is now designated as being held, meaning that with the resources currently committed to the fire, sufficient suppression action has been taken that the fire is not likely to spread beyond existing or predetermined boundaries under the prevailing and forecast conditions. Crews are working to mop-up and patrol all active flanks, extinguishing hot spots along the fire’s perimeter and working with danger tree specialists and fallers to manage trees that pose a safety risk. Bucketing helicopters will continue to assist crews in cooling down fire behaviour in active spots. All previous evacuations have been rescinded. An area restriction for public safety will remain in place for the wildfire near Shovel Lake until at least noon on Sept. 30 or until the order is rescinded. All orders and alerts are no longer in effect as of Sept. 2 at 12:30 p.m. Resdients are asked to check the Bulkley-Nechako Regional District website. WATCH: Taking photos and videos of the B.C. wildfires 0:45 Taking photos and videos of the B.C. wildfires Taking photos and videos of the B.C. wildfires – Jul 19, 2018 Verdun Mountain The Verdun Mountain fire is burning 10 kilometres southwest of Grassy Plains, or approximately 212 kilometres west of Prince George. Story continues below advertisement It is 47,610 hectares in size but is now 100 per cent contained. Firefighters continue to patrol properties west of Eakin Settlement Road and patrol the fire perimeter from Dog Creek to Cheslatta Lake. Crews are also patrolling the perimeter near the Uncha Lake Rec Site and the perimeter south of Takysie Lake. Firefighters continue to mop-up and extinguish identified hotspots in the Holy Cross area. On Sept. 12, an evacuation order was downgraded to an evacuation alert. For more information visit the region’s website. Nadina Lake This 86,766-hectare wildfire is burning 60 kilometres south of Houston, 63 kilometres southwest of Burns Lake.<doc-sep>A state of emergency was declared in British Columbia, Canada, on Wednesday due to 566 wildfires burning in the region. Almost 20,000 people were impacted by the fires and evacuation orders, according to Global News. The state of emergency, issued by Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth, was to remain in effect for at least 14 days. "Public safety is always our first priority and as wildfire activity is expected to increase, this is a progressive step in our wildfire response to make sure British Columbia has access to any and all resources necessary," Farnworth said. "Taking this step will further ensure we can protect the public, property and infrastructure and assist with firefighting efforts." The fire danger rating was listed as high or extreme for much of British Columbia on Wednesday. A high risk is defined as when forest fuels are very dry and the risk for fire is serious. In cases of extreme risk, "new fires will start easily, spread rapidly and challenge fire suppression efforts," according to the B.C. government. A map of the fires shows the locations of the hundreds burning in British Columbia. The federal government said on Monday it would deploy help in the form of aircraft and hundreds of soldiers to aid British Columbia in its firefighting efforts, according to The Star Vancouver. Help also came from other places outside of Canada, as Mexico, New Zealand and Australia sent firefighters to British Columbia. Some 47 of the 566 fires burning in British Columbia are considered large enough to be highly visible or a threat to public safety, Global News reported. Smoke from the wildfires in British Columbia was drifting down into the United States, contributing to an air quality advisory issued this week for parts of Oregon. Updates on evacuation orders issued in response to the fires are available from the B.C. Wildfire Service.<doc-sep>Send this page to someone via email Share this item on Twitter Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on Facebook A provincial state of emergency has been declared in B.C. due to hundreds of wildfires burning around the province. There are now 48 wildfires of note, meaning these wildfires are highly visible or pose a potential threat to public safety. There are 1,500 properties under the evacuation order and 9,000 properties under evacuation alert. This means 3,050 people are on evacuation order with 18,720 on evacuation alert. Here’s a look at the fires burning around B.C. The largest wildfire burning in the province is the Shovel Lake wildfire at 50,831 hectares. It is burning about 6.7 kilometres north of Endako and Highway 16, and about 13 kilometres north of Stallako. Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen The massive Shovel Lake wildfire as seen from Fraser Lake Village. Twyla Lee WATCH: Provincial state of emergency declared in B.C. due to wildfires 3:18 Provincial state of emergency declared in B.C. due to wildfires Provincial state of emergency declared in B.C. due to wildfires – Aug 15, 2018 These photos of the Shovel Lake fire were taken Monday, about two kilometres away from the boundary: Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen Taken Monday, Aug. 13. Submitted by a Global News viewer. View image in full screen Taken Monday, August 13. Submitted by a Global News viewer. Burning nearby is the Island Lake wildfire at 13,000 hectares, the Verdun Mountain wildfire at 4,500 hectares, the Nadina Lake wildfire at 25,000 hectares, the Shag Creek wildfire at 9,300 hectares, the Narcosli Creek wildfire at 3,400 hectares and the Tweedsmuir Complex wildfires, estimated at around 35,000 hectares in size. Here is a look at the smoke in Burns Lake from the wildfires burning: This photo was taken August 14 looking south over Francois Lake from viewer Ron Scott’s cabin, which is close to the ferry landing. Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen Photo of the Francois Lake fire. Credit: Ron Scott. Ron Scott WATCH: Province continues to battle almost 600 wildfires 3:29 Province continues to battle almost 600 wildfires Province continues to battle almost 600 wildfires – Aug 14, 2018 Photos from Fraser Lake: Cori Dewijn spent Tuesday morning helping move cows from the path of the Nadina Lake fire, burning 60 kilometres south of Houston, 63 kilometres southwest of Burns Lake, and seven kilometres southwest of Parrott Lakes. Story continues below advertisement In an email, she said the Nadina Lake fire and the Verdun Mountain fire are closing in from both sides. “The people in the community were amazing as everyone pitched in to help each other as much as they could,” she said. Story continues below advertisement WATCH: Ottawa sending troops to help fight B.C. fires 2:26 BC Wildfires: Ottawa sending troops to help fight fire BC Wildfires: Ottawa sending troops to help fight fire – Aug 14, 2018 The scene in Vanderhoof. Incredible smoke and ash in the air. #BCwildfire pic.twitter.com/iKZcZlt13F — Richard Zussman (@richardzussman) August 15, 2018 An Erickson Air-Crane heavy-lift helicopter doused the flames of the Island Lakes wildfire, burning adjacent to Island Lake, south of Francois Lake. Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen Credit: Rene Crouse. Global News viewer Jessica Gessl has been evacuated from her home due to the Verdun Mountain fire, burning 17 kilometres southwest of Grassy Plains. She has now left her home with her fiance and her seven-month-old son.<doc-sep>Share this Story: B.C. Wildfires 2018: State of emergency declared across province as 559 fires burn B.C. Wildfires 2018: State of emergency declared across province as 559 fires burn The declaration is in effect for two weeks from the time it is issued and may be extended or rescinded as the situation develops. Photo by Matt Melnyk / Supplied Article content For the second year in a row, wildfires have prompted the B.C. government to declare a provincewide state of emergency. Doing so allows firefighting agencies such as the B.C. Wildfire Service or public safety agencies such as Emergency Management B.C. or the RCMP to take every action necessary to fight the fires and protect communities. It also allows for centralized co-ordination of federal, provincial or local agencies. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or B.C. Wildfires 2018: State of emergency declared across province as 559 fires burn Back to video “This state of emergency improves our ability to increase that co-ordination as we see risk increasing in other communities,” Forests Minister Doug Donaldson said Wednesday. The declaration is in effect for 14 days and covers the whole province. Last summer, a provincewide state of emergency due to wildfires was in effect for 10 weeks. Provincial states of emergency were also declared in 1996 and 2003. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Toggle full screen mode Previous Gallery Image Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Photo by DARRYL DYCK / CP Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Photo by DARRYL DYCK / The Canadian Press Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Next Gallery Image Toggle gallery captions All 19 Photos for Gallery The B.C. Wildfire Service said 559 fires were burning Wednesday in all corners of the province, with 31 new starts since Tuesday. Just over 1,800 blazes have been recorded since the wildfire season began April 1. In northwestern B.C., a 333-square kilometre fire has destroyed more than 40 homes and properties in and around Telegraph Creek, said Donaldson. Nearly a dozen agencies including firefighters from local First Nations and crews from outside the province were working to save homes in the community, he said. Kevin Skrepnek of the wildfire service said more than 1,500 properties were on evacuation order at midday Wednesday and at least 10,000 were on an alert, with residents advised to be ready to leave on short notice. “Certainly, given the number of fires we have going on right now, given the fire activity we are seeing out there, and given the fact that we really see no relief from the weather, there’s definitely the potential this season is going to get worse before it gets better,” he said. Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS The province is waiting for the arrival of 200 Armed Forces’ members. Skrepnek said most of them would likely be sent to the Okanagan to help with wildfire mop-up. RCMP employees, specialized services and equipment are being sent out to assist RCMP departments located in communities affected by the current wildfire situation, particularly in Central, Northern and Southern B.C. Some of those resources include things such as vehicles, supplies and additional officers to help man checkpoints as required or simply as relief for local detachments. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content By this time last year, hundreds of homes been lost to wildfires and tens of thousands of people had been displaced. The human cost has not been as high this year, but the total number of fires is greater, said Skrepnek. The most severe losses this year have been in the Telegraph Creek area, which Donaldson visited on Tuesday. “In the town site we saw the random nature of forest fires … there’d be a house standing and three doors down there’d be a house totally destroyed, all that was left was the foundation and some twisted and melted metal,” he said. Crews were protecting heritage buildings in the old part of town and setting up sprinklers on the roofs of other homes, he said. Donaldson described the situation as volatile, adding “a change in wind direction could change everything.” Environment Canada issued air quality advisories for much of B.C., all of Alberta, and parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, as smoke from the fires drifts east. It advised children, the elderly and those with heart and lung conditions to limit their exposure. The dense smoke also made it more difficult to find fires that were sparked by lightning last weekend, said Skrepnek. “We can almost guarantee that there are fires out there that haven’t been detected yet,” he said, adding that rain is the only solution to the increasing risk but that isn’t in the forecast. “Rain is going to be absolutely critical. That is what we need to see and not just a small, quick event. We need to see a widespread rain across the entire province to alleviate the situation.” Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content pjohnston@postmedia.com twitter.com/risingaction — with files from The Canadian Press and Stephanie Ip Photo by Matt Melnyk / Supplied By the numbers • There were 559 wildfires burning across the province Wednesday, including 31 started since Tuesday.<doc-sep>
For the latest evacuation alerts and orders, visit Emergency Info BC. For the latest road closures and conditions, visit DriveBC. Hundreds of wildfires burning across B.C. have blanketed large areas of the province in smoke and triggered air quality warnings. Over the weekend, nearly 150 new fires were sparked by lightning strikes as a storm system passed over the province, raising the total number of wildfires burning across B.C. to around 600. As a result Environment Canada has extended a special air quality statement for most of the southern half of the province. The smoke is at its worst in the Okanagan and West Kootenay regions, where conditions are rated 10+ on a scale of one to 10. Metro Vancouver issues advisory On Monday morning, Metro Vancouver also issued an air quality advisory after a change in the wind pulled smoke into the region on Sunday evening. "Elevated levels of fine particulate matter are expected to persist until there is a change in fire and/or weather conditions," said the advisory from the city. Smoke from wildfires darkens the sun in B.C. 's Okanagan region on Sunday. (Bob Smith) Highway closures and delays The smoke has also affected at least three highways, including 93S through Kootenay National Park, Highway 7 in the Fraser Valley near Seabird Island, and Highway 51 near Dease Lake. Environment Canada spokeswoman Cindy Yu says air quality will improve slightly during the day on Monday as air moves, but it will get worse again at night when things settle. "Unfortunately we are expecting a ridge of high pressure to build over southern B.C. in the coming days and that means little ventilation to reduce the wildfire smoke," she said. Yu recommends avoiding strenuous activity outdoors until the air quality improves. Evacuation orders and alerts The heavy smoke is a double-edged sword for firefighting efforts, according to B.C. Wildfire Service chief information officer Kevin Skrepnek. "It does sometimes hamper our ability to get aircraft into certain areas because of visibility. It also means we might not be able to detect fires because they might not be as visible," he said. "The other side of that coin is that the smoke has actually cooled things off a bit. It is reflecting some of the sun's heat and trapping some of the moisture closer to the ground." As of Monday morning, dozens of evacuation orders remain in place across the province affecting about 1,200 properties. Evacuation alerts have also been issued to 5,600 properties, meaning residents must be ready to leave at a moment's notice if conditions worsen. High winds in forecast One of the most affected areas is the central B.C. community of Quesnel where thousands of residents are under an evacuation alert. Skrepnek says high winds in the forecast for the area could make conditions worse on Monday and Tuesday. "We are bracing for some fairly sustained winds in the northwest part of the province and that is where we are seeing a lot of these fires in that central B.C. corridor and further north." Smoke and flames rise from the Shovel Lake fire near Burns Lake in the central Interior of B.C. over the weekend. (BC Wildfire Service) So far this year, the province has spent $198 million fighting wildfires, compared with $308 million by this time last year. Efforts are already underway to bring in more firefighters and aircraft to battle the flames, said Skrepnek. "We are definitely beefing up and bringing in more resources," he said. Almost 600 wildfires are raging across British Columbia News 0:40 Lightning strikes over the weekend sparked nearly 150 new fires, blanketing large parts of the province in smoke. 0:40 LIVE FEED: B.C. wildfires 2018