There are no longer any evacuation orders or alerts in effect in British Columbia, the emergency management minister announced Wednesday, after rainy weather helped dampen fire activity, particularly in the southern part of the province.
Bowinn Ma said evacuation alerts have been lifted for more than 1,000 properties across the province since last week.
About 275 wildfires remained active Wednesday, with 16%, or just over 40, classified as out of control. That’s down from more than 100 out of control fires last week.
These are encouraging figures.
Bowinn Ma summed up at a press conference.
The recent cool and wet weather gives BC Wildfire the opportunity to make significant progress in the fight against forest fires, particularly in the south
she added.
However, a bulletin of BC Wildfire Wednesday’s forecast indicated parts of southeastern British Columbia and much of the north remained dry.
A warming and drying trend is even expected to continue through the Labor Day long weekend.
In the southern Interior, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District on Wednesday lifted its remaining evacuation orders that had been in place due to the Shetland Creek wildfire.
A district bulletin said the all clear notice affected 12 properties in the Venables Valley area, between Ashcroft and Spences Bridge.
The fire, classified as maintained
within its current or predetermined perimeter, was discovered on July 12.
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Smoke from the Shetland Creek wildfire near Kamloops on July 15, 2024.
Photo: The Canadian Press/BC Wildfire
It grew quickly, prompting the district to issue evacuation orders covering about 100 properties over the next few days.
According to BC Wildfire, The 27,900-hectare fire shows activity stable
and teams continue to address hot spots.
None of the current fires in British Columbia are considered notable forest fire
a designation given when a fire is highly visible or poses a threat to people or infrastructure.
