LILLOOET, B.C. — Fire crews fighting a major wildfire that has the entire town on evacuation alert may get some rest as the blaze slowed its rapid spread today.
Fire information officer Kevin Matuga said the 15-square-kilometre blaze did not grow significantly overnight and the fire behaviour is moderate.
He said most of the vegetation that fuelled the fire was consumed during the fire's rapid spread on Sunday.
An evacuation alert remains in place for the 2,700 residents of this small B.C. Interior town about 350 kilometres northeast of Vancouver. The flames had reached within three kilometres of the community.
Another wildfire in northwest B.C. has 375 people on evacuation alert in Terrace.
The blaze, which was started by lightning on Sunday, is only about a kilometre away from the nearest property at Copperside Estates.
At Vanderhoof, a 10-square-kilometre fire is burning in the forest near the Kenney Dam, where the pine beetle scourge has left timber rotting and dry.
Flames are spreading over the eastern flank of the Nechako River to the northeast, forcing the evacuation of one residence and a logging camp.
Meanwhile, hot, dry weather has led to a campfire ban on the South Coast and Vancouver Island.
The B.C. Forest Service said open fires for cooking, warmth and ceremonial purposes will be banned in the Coastal Fire Centre as of midnight Thursday.
Fires contained in stoves using gas, propane or briquettes are still permitted.
The campfire ban will remain in effect until there's a significant change in the weather.
Officials say there has been an increase in wildfires in the coastal region, which stretches from the Eastern Fraser Valley to Tweedsmuir Park in the north.
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Topic: Fire Bans (Read 5031 times)