Campfire bans lifted in northern B.C., parks reopen in Kamloops

The latest on the wildfires:

• The federal government expects southern B.C.'s fire season to continue into September.
• Campfire bans are beingrescinded in northern areas of the province.
• The province has partnered withTk'emlups te Secwepemc to open a camp for wildfire evacuees in Kamloops, B.C.
• All nature parks and trails reopen in Kamloopson Friday after being closed due to fire risk.
• As of noon PT, there are currently 392active fires in B.C., with 13 fires of note or fires that are highly visible or threatening public safety.
• Learn more about how to find the full list of wildfires, highway closures and evacuation orders and alerts.

Campfire bans are being lifted Friday in the Prince George and Northwest fire centres, which encompass the northern half of the province,after cooler weather and calmer fire activity this week.

A statement said the Category 1 open burning prohibition will be rescinded as of noon. Category 1 firesincludecampfiresor any other open fire that burns piled material no larger than half a metre high and half a metre wide.

While communities including Prince George, Fort St. James, Vanderhoof and Mackenzie are included in the lifting of the ban, a B.C. Wildfire Service map indicatedQuesnelandBurns Lake are not.

Wildfire evacuee camp opening in Kamloops

To the south, the province haspartnered with the Tk'emlups te SecwepemcFirst Nation to open a new camp for wildfire evacuees in Kamloops, B.C.

The Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness said the camp will accommodate up to 300 people in the city's Rayleigh neighbourhood.

Minister Bowinn Ma saidit isimportant to ensure there's enough capacity for evacuees and for them to have a culturally safe and supportive environment when dealing with the stress of an evacuation.

The province saidit's been working with First Nations and local authorities on evacuation measures, knowing that hotels are likely full during peak tourist season.

Watch | Bowinn Ma says 'it is clear that theclimate crisis is upon us':

'It is clear that the climate crisis is upon us,' B.C. minister says

1 year ago

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Bowinn Ma, B.C.'s minister of emergency management and climate readiness, told CBC's Power and Politics that the province is dealing with 'unprecedented drought levels' and that people need to be ready for the impacts of climate change.

Nature trails reopen

Meanwhile, all nature parks and trails reopened in KamloopsonFriday after being closed due to fire risk.

Fire Chief Ken Uzelo said recent rain and cooler temperatures brought the fire danger rating down enough to reopen the spaces safely, though he warned they could close again if the heat returns.

The province on Thursday warned asignificant heat wave is expected to hit B.C. early next week, bringing temperatures into the high 20s and early 30s.

Ottawa expects fire season into September

Nationally, the federal government said Friday highwildfireactivity is expected tocontinue across much of Canada this month, with the potential for the fire season to extend into September for southernB.C.

Officials saidCanada is experiencing an "unprecedented'' fire season that hascharred134,000 square kilometres to date more than six times the 10-year average.

At a briefing in North Vancouver on Friday, federal officials said there have been 5,595 wildfires across the country, releasing the equivalent of more than one billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

Read more:

• Federal officials are reporting Canada's worst wildfire season on record and there's more to come this fall.
• B.C. leaders are urging people to prepare for another heat wave forecast for next week, with some temperatures in the high 30s.
• The B.C. Supreme Court has rejected a class action lawsuit claiming damages against CP and CN Rail for the 2021 wildfire that destroyed Lytton, B.C.
• B.C. residents returning from Hawaii are describing the first-hand destruction they witnessed when wildfire ripped through Maui.
• When she's not fighting wildfires in B.C., Ali Schroeder is pitching for Team Canada's national baseball team.

Anyoneplacedunderanevacuationordershouldleavetheareaimmediately.

Evacuationcentreshavebeensetupthroughouttheprovincetoassistanyoneevacuatingfrom acommunityunderthreatfrom awildfire.

Tofindthecentreclosesttoyou,visittheEmergencyInfoBCwebsite.

Evacuees are encouraged to register withEmergencySupport Servicesonline, whether or not they access services at anevacuationcentre.

Do you have a story to share?

If you've been affected by the B.C. wildfires and want to share your story, emailcbcnewsvancouver@cbc.ca.