VICTORIA, B.C. – The Province will end the state of emergency supporting the wildfire response at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.
The declaration was made on July 20th to ensure a coordinated response to the wildfires and to maintain public safety. The state of emergency was extended three times since being declared.
The announcement on Monday is based on advice from emergency management and wildfire officials.
Due to cooler temperatures and more precipitation combined with the efforts of firefighters from across Canada and abroad, the Province can end the state of emergency and return to a standard emergency response.
The Province clarifies that the wildfire season is not over despite the declaration. Officials will continue to take action to respond to the wildfire situation, and they will continue to support the recovery of affected communities.
There are 205 wildfires currently burning in the province, including 49 in the Prince George Fire Centre. Three evacuation orders affecting around 223 properties and 12 evacuation alerts affecting around 254 properties are still in effect.
The total area burned by the 1,585 fires this year covers over 868,600 hectares, according to a release.
During the most intense fire activity, 3,631 firefighters, including some from Mexico, Australia and the other Canadian provinces were helping fight the fires.
The Province estimates around 32,000 people were displaced, and 19,807 people registered with Emergency Support Services.
