KAMLOOPS, B.C. — Wildfire crews in British Columbia continue to keep a close eye on the weather but despite predictions of strong winds and lightning, conditions remained relatively stable over the weekend.
The B.C. Wildfire Service website shows 18 new fires were reported Sunday, most of them in the Kamloops and southeast fire centres.
All those fires remain small, with about half believed to have been sparked by lightning, but the wildfire service lists at least four as human-caused.
Evacuation orders for areas around 100 Mile House and Princeton were downgraded to alerts over the weekend, allowing many people to return home, but more than 30,000 are still displaced by about 150 wildfires in the central and southern Interior.
Roughly 10,000 residents of Williams Lake are hopeful they will be allowed to return sometime this week, but city officials say unpredictable conditions make it impossible to set a firm date.
Environment Canada is calling for sunshine but calm winds and slightly cooler temperatures over the central Interior to start the week, with no chance of showers until at least late Tuesday or Wednesday.
