By Adam Berls

cariboo fires

Cariboo MLA calling for Provincial State of Emergency

Jul 12, 2023 | 3:23 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — There are currently 35 fires burning in the Cariboo Fire Centre and one local MLA is calling for a provincial state of emergency.

Coralee Oakes, MLA for Cariboo North, says that a provincial state of emergency needs to be enacted sooner rather than later/

“We need all levels of government to be talking about this right now and we urgently need action. A state of emergency allows in the long term, it allows us to get access to disaster financial assistance, which is going to be critical for our agricultural sector. Our guiding outfitters, all of our small businesses, our mom and pop operators to access the type of supports that they’re going to need for recovery.” – Coralee Oakes, MLA for Cariboo North (BCU)

Oakes is also calling to attention the number of resources currently available in the Cariboo.

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“What type of tragedy is it going to take before the government understands the serious nature of what is happening in our region? The fact that we do not have access to helicopters to help evacuate people because there’s been a change in how government responds to wildfires is critically alarming. And I think people need to understand that there has been a change and that we do not have helicopter supports for evacuations.” – Coralee Oakes, MLA for Cariboo North (BCU)

The Townsend Creek fire is currently sized at 921 hectares and is 35 kilometers southwest of Quesnel. There is currently an evacuation order and alert associated with this fire. The Pelican Lake wildfire is currently sized at 300 hectares. This afternoon, an evacuation order was issued by the Cariboo Regional District for the Teepee Lake fire, which is listed at 1,500 hectares. For the most recent and up-to-date information on wildfires in the Cariboo region, you can visit the website of the Cariboo Regional District or the BC Wildfire Service.

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Twitter: @AdamBerls

Email: Adam.Berls@pattisonmedia.com