With more than 270 wildfires burning in B.C., cooler weather provided little relief

Following cooler temperatures over the weekend, more hot and dry weather is in the forecast, which is a concern for BC Wildfire crews.

There are more than 270 wildfires burning in B.C. as of Monday and 138 are considered out of control.

Two of the biggest in the province — the White Rock Lake fire and the Sparks Lake fire — are burning in the Kamloops region.

0:34 Animals living among scorched earth in Monte Lake after wildfire devastates community

The White Rock Lake fire, estimated to be 55,700 hectares in size now, remains the most concerning for crews and residents.

On Monday, crews built a contingency machine guard along the Duck Range Road, south of Pritchard.

Currently, there are no large-scale ignitions planned for any part of this fire.

Crews said there is some moderate growth in active areas on the north, northeast and southeast flanks.

2:22 Anger fumes in B.C. over management of White Rock Lake wildfire

Locals in the Monte Lake area, where the fire devastated the community last week, criticized the province over the weekend for not doing enough to fight the fire.

Some residents have stayed behind to protect their properties and livelihoods.

Forest service roads are now cut off to vehicle traffic to prevent other evacuees from coming back.

The provincial government has been critical of those who have stayed behind, defying evacuation orders.

“I can understand why people want to stay behind but the reality is this an evacuation order is put in for people’s safety because there is an imminent threat,” B.C.’s Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said Sunday.

“The reality is this: there were people who stayed behind on Thursday on evacuation order. Firefighters had to go in and rescue them it meant diverting firefighting equipment from the fire.”

2:02 Wet weather slows down White Rock Lake Wildfire near Okanagan Lake

It was better news for some residents from 100 Mile House who were evacuated due to the Flat Lake wildfire.

They were allowed to return home as conditions improved.

Interior Health has also started the process of transporting care home residents back to the district after they had to leave while they still safely could.

There are currently more than 4,000 personnel fighting B.C.’s wildfires, which have raged since record-breaking heat in late June.