‘Trace’ rainfall quells flames, but drought wracks B.C.’s fire-stricken south Cariboo

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The wildfire service said a warming and drying trend was returning after a few days of cooler temperatures, bringing the potential for heightened fire behaviour.

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Village of Clinton Mayor Roland Stanke said Wednesday that a team was in town to assess the damage and compile the information.

“Homeowners with damage will be personally called. If you’re not called, that is a good thing,” he said in a post on Facebook.

Stanke said there were still many flare-ups and hot spots in town, and “things could change depending on wind conditions.”

Premier David Eby urged people heading out for the August long weekend to exercise “extreme caution” because of the fire risk.

“Parts of the province have never been drier than they are right now, especially in the southeast,” he told an unrelated news conference on Wednesday.

“Your one act could impact people’s lives.”

Eby said some people in the Clinton area would be returning to burned homes and businesses, while others forced to flee are waiting to go home.

There were about 130 active wildfires across B.C. on Wednesday, including about 50 that were burning out of control, clustered mostly in the southern Interior.

Like the south Cariboo, Similkameen, Okanagan and Kettle River basins were also sitting at drought level four, while the Upper Nicola River showed a high risk of water scarcity.

The B.C. government announced an order affecting more than 450 water licenses to protect fish in the Salmon River watershed on Tuesday, saying a severe drought has been plaguing the Thompson-Okanagan region and the river has shown persistently low streamflow despite significant voluntary conservation efforts.

Other parts of southern B.C. were classified as drought level three, including eastern Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the Sea to Sky region, as well as the Clearwater and lower and south Thompson basins.

Thompson-Nicola Regional District and the Village of Clinton planned to hold online meeting Wednesday to provide information for those affected by wildfires in the region.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2026.

The Canadian Press