B.C. lifts last 'wildfire of note' designation, as number of blazes drops below 300

A view of the Cory Creek wildfire is seen near Witset, B.C., in an Aug. 19, 2024, handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-B.C. Wildfire Service

There are no longer any "wildfires of note" burning in British Columbia, with the BC Wildfire Service saying favourable weather has allowed crews to make good progress in the province's battle against hundreds of blazes.

The service lifted the designation that means a fire is highly visible or poses a threat to people or public safety from the Corya Creek wildfire about 170 kilometres northeast of Terrace, B.C.

But fire information officer Emelie Peacock says there are still a handful of evacuation orders and alerts impacting communities around the province.

Peacock says the change doesn't mean the wildfire season is over, and more than 700 firefighters and 100 aircraft are still out fighting fires.

Peacock says southern parts of the province saw heavy rain recently, but parts of the north continue to experience drought conditions.

At the same time, strong winds are creating some tree hazards for crews.

The BC Wildfire Service shows that the number of active blazes in the province has fallen to about 295, continuing a downward trend from Friday when there were about 340 fires burning.

It says in an update that rain was expected to be mostly on the coast, with winds increasing in the south.

It says a drying trend is likely to occur quickly due to the underlying drought once the storms move out.

The service says B.C. is "still in the core of our wildfire season," but firefighters are making the most of reduced fire behaviour and good weather.

"Several large fires have moved from being held to under control and many are in the mop up stage," it said.

The wildfire service said earlier that while much of the southern part of B.C. received rain and some parts had heavy precipitation over the weekend, it was accompanied by winds gusting up to 102 kilometres per hour.

The wind "blew trees down along fire lines in the south" and forced a fire camp in Invermere, B.C., to move to another location, but the service says no one was injured.

The number of out-of-control wildfires in the province has dropped to about 79.

The wildfire service says more than 10,000 square kilometres of land has been burned in B.C. in this year's fire season starting April 1.

That followed a record wildfire season in 2023 where more than 28,000 square kilometres of land was burned, forcing the evacuations of communities in regions such as the Okanagan and the Shuswap.

Environment Canada is forecasting a return of warmer, drier weather for most of B.C. as Labour Day weekend approaches.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 26, 2024.