Rain forecasts for B.C.’s dry southeast, but officials warn against complaceny
CASTLEGAR, B.C. — Evacuation orders are being lifted and highways reopened as the recovery phase begins following the most destructive wildfire season in British Columbia’s recorded history.
But B.C.’s agriculture minister warned that the fire season is not yet over, despite the progress being made on existing blazes and rain forecast to arrive later this week in the parched southeastern region.
“Recovery, of course, is not going to be quick and it’s not going to be easy,” Lana Popham said during a conference call on Monday.
More than 12,000 wildfires have consumed nearly 11,700 square kilometres of land across the province since April 1, forcing just shy of 50,000 people out of their homes at the peak of the disaster.