Silverton residents return home as B.C. wildfire activity eases

Hundreds of B.C. residents were given the green light to return home Tuesday after evacuation orders for several wildfires were downgraded. 

Recent rainfall and cooler temperatures have dampened fires across the province, with the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) declaring 257 fires out over the past seven days — while just two new fires have started in the past 24 hours.

But the conditions helping firefighters temper the flames aren't here to stay. 

Environment Canada is forecasting that above-seasonal temperatures will settle in the province's south as early as Thursday and extend north over the weekend. At a news conference Tuesday, BCWS director of provincial operations Cliff Chapman said he expects the south to see little to no rain into the first half of August. 

"Despite a number of evacuation downgrades and rescindments, wildfires continue to impact communities across the province," the BCWS said in a situation report updated Tuesday. "The wildfire situation in B.C. is dynamic, and conditions can change rapidly."

Some residents of Silverton, B.C., returned to their homes after an evacuation order for 185 of the community's homes was downgraded Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Tanya Gordon told CBC News on Tuesday afternoon

But other communities along Slocan Lake, about 145 kilometres east of Kelowna, remain on high alert. About 20 kilometres south, the Village of Slocan remains under evacuation order as of Wednesday morning. 

Further north, Highway 16 remains closed from the Mount Robson Visitor Centre to the Alberta border due to wildfires around Jasper, Alta.

On Vancouver Island, the Old Man Lake fire in Sooke Potholes Park — which was burning out of control close to a reservoir feeding the Greater Victoria area — is now classified as "being held," meaning it's not expected to grow past its perimeter. 

Effective Thursday, BCWS is rescinding the campfire ban in the northern half of the province. But it also urged campers to be cautious.

"Avoid having a campfire when it's windy. Choose a proper fire pit or make a ring of rocks at least three metres from trees, shrubs, structures and debris, and do not leave a campfire unattended for any amount of time," the BCWS said in a statement. 

According to the BCWS, about 90 per cent of currently active wildfires this season have been started by lightning. 

Researchers expect hot and dry conditions that can exacerbate wildfires will occur more frequently with climate change — and so will lightning. One U.S. study finds each degree the planet's average air temperature rises corresponds with a 12 per cent increase in the number of lightning strikes.