Photo: Ann Lethbridge

Fire at Williams Lake Airport.

A provincewide state of emergency has been declared in British Columbia after nearly 140 new wildfires broke out on Friday, consuming dozens of buildings and forcing thousands of people from their homes.

Transportation Minister Todd Stone said the extraordinary measure of declaring an emergency is necessary to co-ordinate the crisis response and ensure public safety.

"This is an urgent situation and public safety is the top priority," he said in a statement.

Stone said wildfire activity is expected to increase with hot, dry weather predicted in the coming days, along with thunderstorms forecast for many parts of the province.

The last time the province declared a state of emergency was in 2003 to deal with wildfires, an emergency those in Kelowna may be all too familiar with. 

The BC Wildfire Service said in a Tweet that 138 new wildfires sprang up on Friday alone.

Evacuation orders have been issued for the communities of Ashcroft, Cache Creek, Princeton, 105 Mile House and 108 Mile House, while other communities have been placed under evacuation alert, such as 100 Mile House and 150 Mile House.