Residents forced from their homes by a wildfire burning in Buffalo Creek near 100 Mile House in the British Columbia Interior are able to return tonight. An evacuation order for the area has been lifted as crews get a handle on the blaze.
But despite that bit of good news, the fire risk for other areas of the province is starting to rise.
As the temperature goes up, so does the risk. The sunshine that is driving people to places like Stanley Park is also increasing the likelihood of fire.
"We do have our fire hazards signs up, so we want folks when they're coming into the parks to take notice of that," said Aaron Jasper of the Vancouver Park Board.
While Stanley Park hasn't seen any big fires in recent years, small ones are all too common. Back in April, a homeless person accidentally set a tree in the park alight. And over the years, dozens of other minor blazes have been sparked as well.
"As the months go on, obviously we're getting into high risk season so we want people to educate themselves in terms of the conditions, but also to take some personal responsibility in terms of their conduct, " said Jasper.
While the fire risk remains relatively low in Stanley Park and elsewhere in Metro Vancouver, it's a whole different story in other parts of the province, where, despite the fact that it's not even summer yet, the risk exists and is getting worse.
"The fire danger rating for the south is moderate to high, there's even pockets of extreme [risk] in the Barrier and Cranbrook regions," said Alyson Couch, a provincial fire information officer.
Across the province, low risk areas are getting smaller as extreme risk pockets start to spread.
But there is some good news. The 150-hectare Buffalo Creek fire is fully contained and under control. Residents forced to evacuate on Friday are being allowed to return home. A second serious fire at Tyaughton Lake near Lillooet is also moving away from homes, aided by favourable winds.
"Over ninety per cent of the fires we've responded to this season have been person caused of course these fires are preventable," said Couch.
So whether it's across the province, or across the city, everyone is being urged to do their part to keep the fire situation from getting any worse.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Stephen Smart