Fire and emergency management officials are prepared to provide an update on the status of the wildfires in British Columbia as recent rains have offered some respite, but several fires still threaten communities.
The BC Forest Fire Service is reporting 412 active wildfires, a reduction of about 70 since Monday.
Twenty-one highly visible or potentially threatening fires are listed on the wildfire service’s website, while the site shows eight new fires have been recorded in the last 24 hours.
A handful of evacuation orders have been downgraded to alerts in various parts of British Columbia, including near the 41-square-kilometre St. Mary River wildfire that broke out 10 days ago near Cranbrook, destroying seven homes north of the city.
The wildfire danger rating has dropped to moderate or low in all but the far southeast of the province, however the wildfire service warns that recent rain and cooler weather will not alleviate severely dry conditions in BC
Environment Canada says another warming trend is on the way and points to a risk of thunderstorms to end the week in many areas from the central coast, Cariboo and southern Interior to the northeast and southeast regions of the province.
The bushfire service says 1,496 fires have been recorded in British Columbia, mostly caused by lightning, since the start of the season on April 1, burning a record 15,107 square kilometers of trees, shrubs and grass.
