B.C. works to broaden wildfire emergency alert

British Columbia's emergency co-ordination agency is working to expand its use of a public alert system for large-scale and potentially fatal disasters, as hundreds more residents have been forced from their homes because of wildfires.

Alert Ready is a Canada-wide system that allows government officials to issue public safety alerts through major television and radio broadcasters, as well as compatible wireless devices.

Pader Brach, executive director of regional operations with Emergency Management B.C., said the system is being looked at for a variety of hazards, although he could not say if it would be in place for this wildfire season.

“We know that minutes count and we're certainly committed to making the Alert Ready system a priority,” Brach told a news conference.

About 4,300 properties were under evacuation orders Thursday due to wildfires scorching British Columbia's south, which is further challenged with drought conditions and water shortages. Nearly 18,000 additional properties are under alert, meaning residents are warned to prepare to leave at a moment's notice.

Ian Meier, executive director with the B.C. Wildfire Service, said strong winds fanned the flames of several wildfires Thursday, causing them to grow and prompting additional evacuations. Conditions are extremely dry in the southern half of the province and there is “no relief in sight,” he said.

There was better news in northern B.C., where he said cooler temperatures and precipitation allowed officials to reallocate some resources further south.

Help was also on the way for the 3,193 personnel currently on the fire lines, with 112 personnel due from Quebec on Friday, 100 Mexican firefighters expected to arrive on the weekend, and an unspecified number of military personnel already staging in the Okanagan.

Among the new areas under evacuation orders was the community of Spences Bridge, now threatened by the same wildfire that three weeks ago destroyed the village of Lytton.