British Columbia is in the worst season of wildfires on record.
The B.C. Wildfire Service confirmed the facts today.
Since April 1st, it’s estimated 894,941 hectares of land has been charred across the province.
Kevin Skrepnek, an information officer with the Wildfire Service, said it beats the record set in 1958, when 855,000 hectares burned.
“It’s an accurate reflection of what we’ve had in terms of growth over the weekend,” Skrepnek told CBC News.
As for the cost, $315.7 million (Cdn) has been spent fighting the fires, which is approaching the 2009 figure of $382 million (Cdn).
There is good news, in that the majority of people put out of their homes has dropped considerably.
More than 45,000 people were displaced at the peak of the fires, now there are approximately 6,000 people under an evacuation order.
And there have been no new road closures for several days.
The contributions of fire crews from the United States and Mexico got an appreciative mention from Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chrystia Freeland, at the opening of trade talks between the three countries today.
Freeland showed photos of the firefighters to emphasize the cooperation.
(With files from CBC)
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