B.C. wildfire status Monday: 14,000 residents forced from their homes

Wildfires continue to blaze across the province with dozens of communities under evacuation orders or alerts. About 14,000 people have been forced from their homes according to the latest numbers from the B.C. Wildfire Service.

A province-wide state of emergency remains in place due to around 218 wildfires burning across B.C., equating to almost 35,000 hectares being torched.

“It’s certainly been an extraordinarily busy period over the last few days,” said Kevin Skrepnek, chief fire information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service.

LISTEN: What the government is doing to help evacuees

More than 100 fires started on Friday, along with almost 100 new fires on Saturday and 29 new blazes on Sunday.

“A number of those are interface fires that have led to evacuations, both evacuation alerts and orders,” said Skrepnek. “And unfortunately, as we’ve been seeing with the weather forecast that’s developing, not a lot of relief expected for the next three to five days.”

5:55 Latest on the wildfire situation around B.C.

Crews will be monitoring wind conditions closely as they can change quickly and pose new threats for the firefighters on scene. Some lightning is expected in southeastern B.C. on Monday but it should also come with rain, which could bring some relief.

FULL COVERAGE: B.C. wildfires burning around the province

100 Mile House was one of the communities evacuated on Sunday night, and Skrepnek said this was done out of an “abundance of caution” due to shifting winds. He said he was not aware of any structures lost in the community overnight.

A wildfire near Ashcroft remains at 6,150 hectares Monday. Skrepnek said there is a lot of smoke coming from that fire and evacuation orders and alerts remain in place.

“With a fire of this size it always has the potential to change direction on us,” he added.

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Near Williams Lake, numerous large wildfires are zero per cent contained.

The city issued an Evacuation Alert on Monday night, meaning people should be ready to go if an order comes. The alert was prompted by weather that could potentially push fires toward the city.

“We’ve got contract crews and lots of locals with heavy equipment working the containment lines.”

WATCH: Williams Lake residents on edge as flames creep closer

2:45 Williams Lake residents on edge as flames creep closer

“Our number one priority is property and structures,” Kekula said. “We’ve got numerous properties around the Williams Lake area. Other priorities are hydro lines, fibre optic lines, making sure people are connected with the outside world… and keeping the highways open for the evacuees.”

READ MORE: B.C. wildfires map 2017: Current location of wildfires around the province

A 2,000-hectare fire burning north of Princeton Monday remains zero per cent contained. A mandatory evacuation order area has now been expanded to 301 total homes. The order includes Highway 5A between Cedar Creek Road and Dry Lake. It now includes all of Summer Creek Road and Missezula Lake. Anyone at nearby recreation sites are advised to leave immediately.

WATCH: Williams Lake residents ‘long way off’ from returning home

2:34 Williams Lake residents ‘long way off’ from returning home

The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen issued an Evacuation Order for 49 more homes along Princeton Summerland Road north of Princeton on Monday at 5 p.m.

The homes were previously under an Evacuation Alert.

Skrepnek said about $47 million has been spent so far on fighting the wildfires, but that number is from Friday and will have gone up after the extensive fire activity over the weekend.

WATCH: Many residents fleeing wildfires headed to Kamloops

2:35 B.C. wildfires: 14,000 residents evacuate, many fleeing to Kamloops

“To have this number of fires burning, it’s not unprecedented,” added Skrepnek. “Typically in the summer, it’s not unusual to have a few hundred fires, active fires, at once. What has made this unusual is the aggressiveness of these fires, the speed with which they grew on Friday and just the fact that they’re so close to communities as well. That’s just really set the stage for where we’re at now in terms of how many impacts these incidents are having to the public.”

WATCH: Goodale outlines the current state of B.C. wildfires – and how the federal government is responding

2:10 Goodale outlines the current state of B.C. wildfires – and how the federal government is responding

Additional resources are being brought in to assist B.C. firefighters working around the province. A crew of 21 firefighters from New Brunswick are headed to B.C., while Saskatoon is sending two tankers, one aircraft and over 30 firefighters, along with incident command staff, to help with the state of emergency.

READ MORE: Saskatchewan sending crews to help battle B.C. wildfires