Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma Tuesday (July 30) says the recent cooler and wetter weather has allowed government to reduce and rescind evacuation orders and alerts throughout the province. 

But Ma added that 1,350 people, most of them in the Central Kootenay region, remain under evacuation order, with another 2,800 under evacuation alert. 

"We are working closely with impacted communities to ensure that they have the support and the resources that they need to keep people safe," she said. Those resources include search-and-rescue teams, she added. "In the last week alone, more than 10 search-and-rescue crews have been deployed to support wildfire evacuations and some those teams have been deployed multiple times," she added. 

Ma cited these facts and figures as she and Forests Minister Bruce Ralston updated the public about the current wildfire situation in B.C. as 349 wildfires including six wildfires of note are burning across the province. Tuesday's update also touched on B.C.'s role in helping evacuees from Jasper in neighbouring Alberta. 

Ma said B.C. will send whatever support it can offer to assist fire-fighting efforts in Alberta and support evacuees arriving in British Columbia. 

Ralston said recent changes in weather have allowed crews to make headway on fires, but hotter summer weather will return in urging people to stay prepared.

"Fires continue to impact many areas of British Columbia, particularly the south-east (corner of B.C.)," he said. "Across the province, we have approximately 1,500 personnel directly engaged in wildfire response efforts. They are joined by hundreds of municipal (firefighters), assisting with structural protection and defence." 

Crews from neighbouring Alaska and Yukon, as well as Ontario and abroad (Australia, New Zealand) are also helping to fight wildfires in B.C, he added. 

Current conditions are allowing authorities to ease restrictions in some parts of the province. Current campfire bans in the Prince George and Northwest fire centres are due to lift on Thursday (Aug. 1) at noon. But authorities have also signalled that these bans could return if wildfire conditions change in those regions. 

One part of the province set to experience seasonal or above seasonal temperatures is southern B.C. with some parts forecast to hit temperatures in the low-to-mid-30s thanks to a high-pressure ridge settling over the southern part of B.C. 

Cliff Chapman, B.C. Wildfire Service's director of provincial operations, said this ridge will create challenging conditions for crews, adding it is not clear when this ridge will break down. He added that authorities are expecting little-to-no rain for the next 10 to 14 days in the southern half. "If we see rain, that will be great, but we are preparing that it is going to be dry and hot." 

Another looming concern is the potential availability of resources from abroad. California is currently experiencing a significant wildfire season, raising the question of whether California might draw resources, making them potentially unavailable for B.C. 

Chapman said B.C. is paying attention to the availability of resources, which are finite. 

Fortunately, California is drawing a lot of resources from the continental United States rather than from abroad, he said.

"It is obviously concerning when multiple agencies are experiencing challenging fire seasons and there is always going to be that challenge of who needs it the most," he said. "But at this time in British Columbia, we feel fairly confident with the resources we have been able to secure." 

So far, other agencies have been able to meet B.C.'s needs for additional assistance, he said. A less challenging wildfire situation in eastern Canada has made resources from Ontario available, he said. Brazil and Mexico also still have available resource, he added.