Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Simon Little / Global BC

Wildfire Picture

B.C. wildfire update: A pause in rapid fire growth but forecast remains hot and dry

Jul 26, 2021 | 10:20 AM

KAMLOOPS — More than 250 wildfires continued to burn across British Columbia on Sunday, though explosive growth in recent days appeared to slow.

The number of people across the province under evacuation orders dropped from about 5,000 on Saturday to 4,400.

However, nearly 1,750 people remained on evacuation alert.

One new wildfire raising concerns was the Garrison Lake fire, burning about 33 kilometres southwest of Princeton.

The fire was first spotted Friday and has since grown to 450 hectares in size. Two properties were placed under an evacuation order, and another 141 were placed under an evacuation alert.

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Wildfire officials reported no additional growth Sunday on one of the province’s most aggressive wildfires, the Nk’Mip fire near Osoyoos.

That 6,800-hectare blaze has prompted multiple evacuation orders and alerts, and forced people from an additional 126 properties on Saturday.

The province’s wildfire fighting efforts were bolstered this weekend by the arrival of 100 Mexican firefighters on Saturday, and 160 Canadian Armed Forces members on Friday.

Some of those troops arrived at the 7,000-hectare Thomas Creek wildfire in the South Okanagan Sunday, to assess a possible wider deployment to help fight it.

In the Central Kootenay, an evacuation order for the Cultus Creek wildfire was reduced to an alert.

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District also gave the all clear for evacuation orders and alerts in Electoral Area “J” (Copper Desert Country) related to the Durand Lake wildfire.

The evacuation alert in place for the Tremont Creek Wildfire that crossed over with the Durand Lake Wildfire remained in place.

The TNRD also rescinded an evacuation alert for Electoral Area “M” (Beautiful Nicola Valley-North) related to the Brenda Creek fire.

Despite the drop in the number of active wildfires, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said Saturday there is challenging weather in the forecast for the foreseeable future.