Cost of fighting B.C. fires tops $200 million

The cost of fighting the forest fires that have been raging across British Columbia this summer has jumped to more than $210 million -- and climbing.

Less than two weeks ago, the running total was just $135 million.

Forests Minister Pat Bell says this year's figure isn't far from the disastrous season in 2003, when the province spent nearly $330 million battling wildfires.

And Bell says just one more major fire could add as much as $100 million to the tab.

The province had originally set aside $62 million for fire fighting.

Ottawa has said disaster assistance could be on the way.

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  The entire district of Lillooet and the surrounding First Nations reserves have been evacuated as the blaze burns just one kilometre from town on Sunday, Aug. 3, 2009. (B.C. Forest Service)