Nearly 550 wildfires continued burning in British Columbia, Canada, on Monday, prompting air quality alerts and evacuation orders throughout the region. Some of the largest fires were burning in the Bulkley-Nechako area, the Ottawa Citizen reported.
Thousands of firefighters, some from neighboring provinces as well as Australia, Mexico and New Zealand, were deployed to combat the flames in B.C. One of the largest fires, the Shovel Lake Fire, reached almost 200,000 acres west of Prince George, according to CBC News.
Air quality alerts remained in effect for large swaths of the region on Monday.
"During a wildfire, smoke conditions can change quickly over short distances and can vary considerably hour-by-hour," Canada's Ministry of the Environment said. "People with pre-existing health conditions, the elderly, infants, children and sensitive individuals are more likely to experience health effects from smoke exposure."
An interactive version of the map is also available here.
On Sunday, smoke from the wildfires prompted the cancelation of multiple flights throughout B.C. Smoke could be seen from space in images released by NASA.
"To be honest with you, I've personally never seen it this bad," Sean Parker, on-call airport manager in Kelowna, told CBC News. "You look out the window here in Kelowna…It's like we're in a fog."
Last year was B.C.'s worst year on record for wildfires, while this year has become the fourth largest fire season since 1950, according to CBC. A state of emergency was declared last week by Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. The declaration, expected to stay in effect for at least 14 days, aims to ensure there are adequate resources and funding to combat the flames.
"Given the unpredictable behavior of wildifres 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."
A full list of evacuation orders and alerts can be seen on the B.C. government's website.
