B.C. wildfires near Hope, Manning Park no longer ‘out of control’

Cooler temperatures and wetter weather are helping ease wildfire concerns in parts of B.C.

The BC Wildfire Service says the Flood Falls Trail fire and the Heather Lake fire — near Hope and Manning Park respectively — are no longer classified as “out of control.”

“Most of those fires have taken some rain so we are very comfortable calling them ‘being held.’ So we are changing the status of those fires. That means that with the resources and the current forecasted conditions, it is not expected for those fires to grow,” explained fire information officer Marg Drysdale.

“As the rains come in and the shortened days, we are going to be in a place where we will be able to take crews off over the next little while. They’re doing very well.”

The BC Wildfire Service says progress has also meant that evacuation orders and alerts have been rescinded.

While the fires are now listed as ” being held,” Drysdale notes they will still be visible in surrounding areas — especially Hope — mainly because of the smoke.

“People are going to continue to see smoke on the hillside and it is going to continue to burn in some areas. But as long as it’s within the boundaries of the perimeter, we expect that to continue,” she told CityNews of the Flood Falls Trail fire.

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The BC Wildfire Service says resources will continue to be assigned to these fires “for a period of time” to ensure progress continues.

Drysdale is reminding anyone driving along the Highway 1 corridor to be aware that that area is still “an active fire area.”

“Please don’t stop or slow down, just continue at your regular speed. If you are going to be using that corridor, please check DriveBC.”