By Canadian Press

Number of wildfires burning in B.C. down slightly from a week ago

Aug 23, 2021 | 9:12 AM

The BC Wildfire Service says nearly 250 blazes are burning across the province, down from nearly 270 a week ago.

It says more than 8,600 square kilometres of land has been scorched this year from wildfires since the season began April 1.

More than 80 fires are burning in the Kamloops region, about 60 in the southeast and at least 50 in the Prince George fire centres.

More than 60 evacuation orders are in place across British Columbia, and there are nearly 120 evacuation alerts, which means people should be ready to leave within minutes.

The White Rock Lake wildfire, which caused significant damage to at least 70 properties in the Ewings Landing and Killiney areas along the northwest shore of Okanagan Lake, remains classified as “out-of-control” and is estimated at about 807 square kilometres.

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Environment Canada has forecast cooler temperatures for much of the region, although there may be strong winds with gusts up to 40 km/h in some areas in Kamloops, where crews are fighting the White Rock Lake and Lytton Creek fires.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 23, 2021.

The Canadian Press