'This is not over': Forecast in Northern B.C. prompts shift in wildfire fighting resources

The focus of the fight against wildfires in B.C. is set to shift in the coming days, with resources being moved back into the northern part of the province where challenging conditions are in the forecast.

Provincial officials provided an update Monday where they stressed that the persistent drought and heat that have fuelled the record-breaking season have not abated even if there have been brief periods of reprieve.

"Now is not the time to let our guard down," Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma said, adding that 8,000 people remain on evacuation order and another 54,000 are on alert.

"We are still in very challenging, dynamic times," she said.

Conditions in the southern part of the province have somewhat stabilized in recent days, Ma said, noting that a number of evacuation orders in the hard-hit Okanagan were downgraded or rescinded over the weekend. In the Shuswap, recent rain and cooler temperatures have helped crews contain a catastrophic blaze.

While the forecast in the southern part of the province is relatively favourable for the ongoing firefighting efforts, heat records have been broken and heat warnings have been issued for a number of communities further north.

"We've started to see those fires that have essentially been laying dormant for the last few weeks find pockets of fuel and start to start to ignite again, essentially. And so with that, we are expecting to see growth on those fires," Cliff Chapman, BC Wildfire Service director of operations said, noting that support from the Canadian military is expected to land in the region in the next 24 to 36 hours.

"We will see a continual flow of resources to the north. But we are not going to start stripping everything off of our fires in the south, we have to find that balance and that's what we're working to do."

On Monday, there were 376 fires burning across the province.

Forestry Minister Bruce Ralston noted that wildfires this season have seen explosive, rapid growth and stressed the need for people across the province to remain vigilant.

"Unfortunately we are still in the midst of our most challenging wildcard seasons on record. It is not over by any means," he said.

"We've seen throughout this season that the situation could change rapidly."

Officials also said the province has spent $585 million on the wildfire fight so far this season. That figure only includes direct funding to the BC Wildfire Service and not funding distributed through other ministries, such as support for evacuees, money spent by the Ministry of Transportation on repairing roads or assistance provided to farmers by the Ministry of Agriculture.

B.C. remains in a state of emergency.