Hundreds of wildfires burn in Canadia amid state of emergency

In what is starting to feel like a new normal for this time of year, much of Canada's British Columbia province is struggling under stifling smoke caused by hundreds of forest fires that continue to burn across the province.

This week, the B.C. government declared a provincial state of emergency to support the fight against the wildfires.

The state of emergency is initially in effect for 14 days and could be extended or rescinded as necessary.

The move ensures that the whole province will be able to access coordinated federal, provincial and local resources to fight against the 566 wildfires that are burning in the heavily-forested and mountainous Pacific province.

"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," said Mike Farnworth, B.C.'s Minister of Public Safety.

"Taking this step will further ensure we can protect the public, property and infrastructure, and assist with firefighting efforts," he said.

As of Aug. 14, there were 566 wildfires burning in B.C., with 29 evacuation orders affecting approximately 3,050 people and 1,521 properties, according to the B.C. government.

There are also 48 evacuation alerts impacting 18,720 people and 9,359 properties. An evacuation alert means that residents could be ordered to evacuate at a moment's notice.

All week, a heavy layer of smoke has hung over Metro Vancouver and most other parts of the province, blocking out the sun and causing alarm over dangerous particles in the air.

On Thursday, the usually-breathtaking Coastal Mountains could not be seen through the smoke from a central part of Vancouver.

The extended weather forecast calls for continued hot and dry conditions, with risk of thunderstorms in some parts of the province.

More than 3,370 firefighters and contractors are fighting fires across the massive province, including 436 out-of-province personnel from Alberta, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Parks Canada, Australia, Mexico and New Zealand.

Last year, more than 1.2 million hectares of forests burned in B.C. as the province was under a state of emergency for ten weeks, extending from July 7 to Sept. 15.

So far this year, more than 380,000 hectares have been burned by wildfires, making it the fourth-worst season on record.

More federal personnel and resources will be arriving in B.C. to assist with wildfire efforts in coming days, the government said.

"Given the unpredictable behavior of wildfires and the number of significant wildfires in all areas of the province, we're bringing in the additional resources we need to keep people and communities as safe as possible," said Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.

"We're asking British Columbians to do their part and follow burning bans and restrictions to prevent human-caused fires," he said.

The state of emergency gives government and policing agencies the authority to take every action necessary to fight the wildfires and protect people and communities.