Wildfire situation remains fluid as more help arrives

Jul 18, 2017 | 6:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — 11 days into the wildfire related state of emergency in B.C. and fire crews are getting a clearer picture of what they are up against.

An unstable airmass is moving into the Interior Thursday and rain is expected, but the latest models suggest it won’t be enough to break down the fire danger rating.

Only a few milimetres of rain is expected later this week, not enough to make a big difference to the fire situation and lightning is expected with the unstable airmass as well.

The BC Wildfire Service reports there were nine new fire starts yesterday, adding to the hundreds of thousands of hectares burned across the province.

Windy weekend conditions contributed to increased fire behaviour and growth, but calmer conditions this week have allowed for more accurate mapping of the fires.

While hundreds of reinforcements have been called in from all over BC and Canada, even more are on their way to lend a hand to the exhausted fire crews.