Nearly 600 fires are burning across British Columbia, covering the sky in flame-coloured haze and blanketing the air with smoke.

A provincial state of emergency has been declared.

There are hundreds of wildfires burning across B.C., including this one near the Pondosy Bay Wilderness Resort near Tweedsmuir. (Pondosy Bay Wilderness Resort)

Dozens of evacuation orders and alerts are in effect in the north and central regions, impacting more than 20,000 people.

Under a sky darkened by smoke from nearby wildfires, a driver waits for a ferry in Northern B.C. (Andrew Kurjata/CBC)

In Burns Lake, hotels are