Cooler weather brings relief to B.C. firefighters

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – The number of active wildfires burning across British Columbia has climbed to 95, after nine new blazes were sparked over a 24 hour period.

BC Wildfire Service information officer Ryan Turcot says a storm Thursday generated about 1,500 lightning strikes but he notes people are still the cause of most of B.C.’s fires.

Turcot also says temperatures across the province are easing after several days of record heat.

He says that will help firefighters in northeastern B.C., where a number of large blazes destroyed one house and forced evacuations from 500 other homes earlier this week.

All the evacuation orders were lifted by mid-week and the Prince George Fire Centre confirms the number of properties still on evacuation alert has now been cut to 31.

The Beatton Airport Road blaze north of Fort St. John remains B.C.’s largest fire at 63-square kilometres and Turcot says it is only five per cent contained.