Rainfall, cooler temperatures bring some relief in wildfire-ravaged B.C.
PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. — Rain fell and temperatures cooled in many parts of British Columbia over the weekend, reducing wildfire risk but not bringing as much relief as needed to crews battling hundreds of blazes in the province.
“It has definitely taken the edge off in some areas,” Kevin Skrepnek, chief fire information officer for the BC Wildfire Service, said Monday. “Having said that, in some areas where we needed this rain the most, unfortunately it just didn’t materialize.”
The regions that didn’t see rain include central B.C., where major wildfires included the 912-square-kilometre Shovel Lake fire, and the northwest, where the 1,180-square-kilometre Alkali Lake blaze has destroyed dozens of structures in Telegraph Creek, Skrepnek said. No significant rain is expected in those areas any time soon, he added.
“Every little bit will help, but there’s nothing on the horizon right now that’s going to be ending the fire season by any stretch,” he said.