There was some good news on the BC Wildfire Service update today as the number of fires burning in the province decreased again.
“We have 132 wildfires burning across the province including 10 new fires that started yesterday,” said Kevin Skrepnek, Chief Fire Information Officer. “Since April 1, the BC Wildfire Service has responded to 855 fires across the province that have burned an estimated 473,000 hectares.”
Skrepnek says the BC Wildfire Service has spent $195.9 million dollars so far this wildfire season. There are currently more than 3,300 personnel working with the Service, including over 1,000 forestry contractors and nearly 600 from outside of BC.
In a first for the province, firefighters from Mexico are expected to arrive this week. More American personnel are also being brought in through agreements that Ontario has with some of the eastern states.
Mexico and United States to assist with #BCwildfire situation: https://t.co/Qyor3Egcbo
— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) August 1, 2017
Weather is an ongoing concern with tomorrow expected to be the hottest so far of the wildfire season. On Saturday and Sunday, there is some risk of thundershowers in the Interior and Cariboo. If the storms don’t bring significant rain, any fires started by lightning could burn aggressively due to the extremely dry conditions throughout the province.
According to Emergency Management BC, more than 30,000 people have registered at emergency social service centres in north eastern and central BC and another 5,000 have done so in the southern part of the province.
More than one quarter of the total number of evacuees in the province registered in Prince George.
“In Prince George, they have registered 10,213 individuals,” says Robert Turner, assistant deputy minister for EMBC. “In Kamloops, 9,122 and 100 Mile House – 2,862. In Quesnel, 1,460.”
Many evacuees have now been able to return home, although several previously evacuated communities, including Williams Lake, remain under an evacuation alert.
Interactive & searchable map from @TNRD shows status of all #evacuation orders, alerts & rescinds: https://t.co/sp4A6DiDV4 #BCwildfire
— Emergency Info BC (@EmergencyInfoBC) August 2, 2017
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