About 100 firefighters are set to arrive in B.C. from Mexico on Saturday to help fight the raging wildfires. Public safety minister Mike Farnworth says officials are also in talks with Australia to bring in more help. More than three-thousand firefighters and support staff are battling the blazes, with some having come from Alberta, New Brunswick and Quebec. Nearly 300 fires were burning across the province yesterday, including several encroaching on communities that have issued evacuation orders or alerts.

B.C. is reporting 76 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 148,563 cases in the province.There are currently 692 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 146,099 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 50 individuals are currently in hospital and 12 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. In the last 24 hours, no new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 1,763. The province has administered 6,233,656 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines. As of Tuesday, July 20, 2021, 80.0% (3,

The B.C. government is declaring a provincial state of emergency to support the provincewide response to the ongoing wildfire situation.Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, made the declaration on July 20, 2021, based upon the recommendation from the BC Wildfire Service and Emergency Management BC. The declaration will be in effect starting July 21, 2021.The state of emergency is initially in effect for 14 days once issued and may be extended or rescinded as necessary. The state of emergency applies to the whole province and ensures federal, provincial and local res

The entire town of Oliver is on evacuation alert and nearly 200 properties between Oliver and Osoyoos are evacuated as a new wildfire threatens parts of the south Okanagan. The Inkaneep Creek blaze broke out yesterday afternoon and charred seven square kilometres of bush within hours, prompting evacuation orders from both the Osoyoos Indian Band and the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen. The regional district has also issued a state of local emergency covering Oliver and the evacuated areas and ``strongly advises'' residents currently on alert to be ready to leave on very short notice

Evacuation orders have been lifted for all but one building in Kelowna, B.C., as crews have dismantled what remained of a crane that collapsed, killing five people. A statement issued by Central Okanagan Emergency Operations says residents and businesses at six addresses can return. It says site engineers and utility inspectors have completed infrastructure and safety inspections but property owners are urged to do their own checks to ensure customers and residents are safe as they go back. The statement says another building directly across the lane from the construction site where the crane

First Nations with former Indian Residential School and Indian Hospital sites in or near their communities can now access the B.C. residential school response fund, with the added support of two newly appointed First Nations liaisons."I acknowledge the trauma that Indigenous peoples continue to experience as a result of the colonial legacy of residential schools, and I grieve with the families and communities as we grapple with recent findings and the findings yet to come," said Murray Rankin, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation. "We know it's going to take time, technical reso

The RCMP says it has notified the Independent Investigations Office of BC after someone was taken to hospital with a dog bite. The Mounties say police received a report of a person yelling and screaming for days on Quadra Island Sunday. They say the incident occurred when responding officers encountered someone who appeared to be holding a weapon and refused to leave a trailer. RCMP say the person suffered a dog bite after a police service dog was deployed and received first aid at the scene before being transported to hospital.

British Columbia is expected to name the newly appointment First Nations liaisons who are supporting its residential school response. Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Minister Murray Rankin is scheduled to introduce the liaisons and provide more details on the province's 12-million-dollar residential schools response fund early this afternoon.The government has previously said the fund will support investigative work at former residential school sites and fund programs that support those experiencing trauma following the discovery of remains.Several First Nations in B-C and Saskatchewan

Over a three-day period, B.C. is reporting 156 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 148,487 cases in the province:July 16-17: 56 new casesJuly 17-18: 60 new casesJuly 18-19: 40 new casesThere are currently 653 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 146,062 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 49 individuals are currently in hospital and 12 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.In the last 72 hours, two new deaths have been reported in the Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health regions, for an overall total of