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B.C. wildfire latest: Thousands of people still out of their homes, but there is some good news

Click to play video: 'Wildfire smoke effects'
Wildfire smoke effects
As much of southern B.C. remains under an air quality advisory, the provincial health officer is concerned about the long-term effects of those hazy skies. As Aaron McArthur reports, smoke and wildfires are affecting more than just the air.

More than 2,000 properties remain under evacuation orders in B.C. due to the wildfires burning.

There are 14,900 properties on evacuation alert.

Kelly Greene, B.C.’s minister of emergency management and climate readiness, said those orders and alerts roughly translate to 2,200 people on evacuation order and 25,000 people on alert.

“We’ve seen a significant shift in those numbers this morning with news from Summerland that over 3,000 properties have moved from order to alert, and the majority of Summerland being able to return home today,” she said.

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“For those people who are still waiting to go home, the question we hear most often: when can I go home? And the answer will look different for every community, and it’s determined by your local authority or First Nation when it’s going to be safe.

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“It will depend on risk and damage assessments, and the work that needs to be done before people can safely return. That work can include restoring power, fixing damaged roads, assessing water systems, mitigating hazards in the community, and assessing any other potential public safety hazards.”

B.C.’s minister of forests, Ravi Parmar, said as of Tuesday morning, there are 126 active fires in the province, with 104 new starts over the last seven days and 85 declared out in the same time frame.

“Unless the weather picture changes the coming week, the province will continue to see hotter temperatures and drier conditions, except for the far northwest part of the province,” he said.

“Again, the Bald Range fire was a prime example of the intensity of the fires that we’re seeing here in British Columbia.”

Orange and yellow air quality warnings cover a large swath of the province, as major fires burn near Boston Bar and in the Cariboo and Okanagan regions.

-with files from The Canadian Press

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