KELOWNA, B.C. — British Columbia's emergency management minister says people who are defying wildfire evacuation orders are putting at risk the "unified strategy" for battling the destructive blazes.
Bowinn Ma says the BC Wildfire Service has "opened a dialogue" to understand why some are defying the orders, but the directives carry legal weight and defiance of them must end.
Ma has told a briefing Wednesday that if people stay behind, tactics such as aerial water-bombing and back-burning can't take place.
Some residents of the Columbia Shuswap Regional District in the Interior have been refusing to leave their properties, and officials say firefighting equipment there has been moved or tampered with.
Ma says that it's a divisive issue, but people "can't be doing their own thing," when it comes to wildfires.
She says areas under evacuation order are not safe places.
“Evacuation orders must be followed. They are not suggestions, they are the law," Ma said. "I know some people want to stay and fight. I understand that."
Ma said that British Columbians' "collective fight is against the wildfire," and should not be with each other.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 23, 2023.
The Canadian Press
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