Emergency Services

A helicopter pilot suffered minor injuries after the aircraft went down in a lake while battling wildfires in British Columbia's Cariboo region.

Officials said about 8,000 people are under evacuation orders due to wildfires in British Columbia, while another 7,100 have been told they should be ready to leave their homes at a moment's notice.

Wildfire crews in B.C.'s southern Interior rescued a resident who defied an evacuation order after flames trapped him on his property.

The Thompson Nicola Regional District (TNRD) will be evacuating 70 Mile House at 10 a.m. today. (Monday) According to the TNRD, this is due to the projected growth of the Pear Lake wildfire towards the area.

An evacuation order has been expanded to include 70 Mile House after two out-of-control wildfires merged in British Columbia's Cariboo region.

United Way B.C. is urging British Columbians to support communities affected by this year's wildfire season by donating to its United for B.C. Wildfire Recovery Fund.

Communities across northeast British Columbia, including Fort St. John, Taylor, the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality and several First Nations, are receiving provincial funding aimed at strengthening emergency preparedness as extreme weather and climate-related events become more common.

As hot, dry weather persists across southern B.C., provincial officials warned Tuesday that wildfire activity and drought conditions are expected to worsen before they improve.

Jeff Parr, a native of Dawson Creek, B.C., has built Wildfire Ready, a free, bilingual wildfire app that compiles wildfire information from a number of official sources, and puts it into one place.

Residents across northeastern B.C. are being urged to take precautions as wildfire smoke moves through the region, affecting air quality and visibility.