B.C. wildfire crews are taking action to contain 250 forest fires as of Tuesday, down from 277 this time last week.
The latest statistics from the B.C. Wildfire Service show 61 evacuation orders in place as of the evening of July 26, up three from Sunday. Properties on evacuation order total 3,713, down by 547 as ground crews and aircraft work to contain fires that threaten homes.
After winds fanned flames across the B.C. Interior in recent days, there are 85 areas under evacuation alert. The number of properties on evacuation alert stood at 18,234, up 550 from Sunday. Emergency Management B.C.s central region, including the Cariboo and Okanagan, has 48 of the evacuation orders and 55 of the alerts, with a further eight orders and eight alerts in the southeast region.
Mapping of fires so far shows 4,177 square kms burned since April. That compares to the all-time record of 13,543 square kms in 2018, followed by 12,160 square kms in 2017. The 10-year average for B.C. wildfires is 3,489 square kms damaged by fire.
Highway 1 at Lytton reopened Tuesday, with a travel advisory in effect for Lytton to Spences Bridge. For real-time updates on evacuation alerts and orders, see the EmergencyInfoBC Twitter page, and for the latest province-wide wildfire information, see www.bcwildfire.ca.
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@tomfletcherbc
tfletcher@blackpress.ca
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