Vancouver: British Columbia has extended its provincewide state of emergency by two weeks as more than 400 wildfires continue to burn across the province.
The B.C. Wildfire Service website shows 422 active fires across the province, with 195 burning out of control and 12 listed as fires of note due to their high visibility or potential threat to the public.
Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma says the two-week extension is necessary in case additional emergency measures are needed in response to the fires.
Ma says recent rain has brought some relief for firefighters.
But she says B-C is far from being in the clear, as 4,200 people remain under an evacuation order with 65,000 others on alert. — Canadian Press