Tuesday, July 11, 2017 11:15 am

BRITISH COLUMBIA (From news reports) -- Raging forest fires across British Columbia have led three major lumber producers to suspend production across the western Canadian province, while more than 14,000 people have been ordered to evacuate from their homes for safety.

Norbord Inc., Tolko Industries Ltd. and West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. have all suspended mill operations in central British Columbia, where approximately more than 200 wildfires are burning throughout the province, the largest of which is estimated to be more than 12,000 acres.

The province declared a state of emergency on Friday, while the government announced 100 million Canadian dollars ($77.6 million) in a relief fund for displaced communities.

Since April, wildfires have burned down more than 100,000 acres across the province, said Kevin Skrepnek, chief fire information official for the BC Wildfire Service, on Monday. There have been no accidents or injuries due to the fire, officials added.

"In terms of our efforts today, we remain focused on public safety, keeping highways and evacuation routes open," Mr. Skrepnek said.

Norbord, the world's largest producer of oriented strand board, an engineered lumber similar to particle board, said it was assessing the wildfire's impact to its production schedule. All of the company's mill employees have been safely evacuated, it said.

Norbord's mill in the 100 Mile House district, located about 180 miles northeast of Vancouver, has an annual production capacity of 440 million square feet.

Tolko said in a statement on its website that it has shut down its Lakeview and Soda Creek mills until further notice and that the company's crews would remain on site conducting maintenance and cleanup activities.

West Fraser said its operations in 100 Mile, Williams Lake and Chasm areas are also closed, while Canfor Corp. said its operations haven't been disrupted.

Representatives from some of the province's other big lumber producers including Western Forest Products Inc., and Interfor Corp . weren't immediately available to comment.

In May 2016, out-of-control forest fires engulfed Fort McMurray, Alberta, forcing the evacuation of 80,000 residents and causing the destruction of 2,400 homes. The fires shut down nearby oil-sands production sites for more than two weeks.

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