B.C. wildfire Sunday: Some evacuation orders, alerts lifted as rainfall brings hope to firefight

Fire crews have gotten some of the best news in months as rainfall has helped them battle some of the more stubborn wildfires still burning across British Columbia, particularly in the Cariboo region.

An evacuation alert was lifted Saturday for the Kleena Kleene area, and progress is being made against the Elephant Hill wildfire which is 192,000 hectares in size and 50 per cent contained.

The rain also had an impact on the stubborn Finlay Creek wildfire, which is now 50 per cent contained.

Globalnews.ca coverage of B.C. wildfires

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Some evacuation orders remain in place but there is optimism the worst is over. Crews spent much of Saturday spraying down hot spots left on the outskirts of the fire’s perimeter. Evacuation alerts for more than 300 properties near Peachland have also been rescinded.

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On Sunday, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen said evacuation orders on 55 properties in the Meadow Valley area west of Summerland have been lifted. The area remains under evacuation alert. An evacuation order remains in place for Darke Lake Provincial Park.

The Kenow Mountain wildfire, which has already prompted an evacuation of Waterton Lakes National Park as well as the Waterton town site, has grown and moved closer to the town site, according to Parks Canada.

According to Parks Canada, the fire is now 10 kilometres from the Waterton town site.

On Sunday, an evacuation order related to an area around the Plateau Fire, which is more than 500,000 hectares in size, was downgraded to an evacuation alert.

An air quality advisory for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley has now been lifted. The regions were blanketed by haze throughout the week but the smoke is now being pushed away and air quality has dramatically improved.

– With files from Phil Heidenreich