This year’s wildfire season is now the second-worst in B.C. history when it comes to the amount of land that’s burned. More than 945,000 hectares have been scorched by fires since April 1.
According to a news report by the CBC, last year, the record was set when more than 1.2 million hectares of land were destroyed by wildfire. As of last Friday, more than 550 fires were burning across the province. Sixty are considered fires of note, meaning they threaten people or property or are highly visible.
Most of the notable fires are in the province’s southeast, northwest and Interior regions. Nearly 5,000 people had been forced from their homes due to wildfire as of Thursday afternoon. Another 22,000 were under evacuation alerts. At least half a dozen buildings have reportedly been lost to fire this summer.
Last summer saw more structural losses, with at least 200 buildings destroyed or damaged in the Cariboo and another 215 in the Thompson-Nicola district.
The Shovel Lake fire, burning between Burns Lake and Prince George, is still the largest in the province at more than 91,000 hectares in size — nearly eight times the City of Vancouver.
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