Evacuation alert rescinded after wildfire near Pemberton, B.C., held

But officials say dry, warm conditions will elevate fire risk in coming days around parts of B.C.

An evacuation alert issued for parts of Pemberton, B.C., due to a nearby wildfire has now been rescinded.

The Village of Pemberton rescinded the alert at noon Sunday, saying the threat to life and safety had subsided enough that residents were no longer being asked to prepare to leave.

This came after the Signal Hill wildfire, just a few kilometres away from the community, was classified as being held.

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The new designation for the wildfire, which was first discovered on July 15, means the fire is projected to remain within its current boundaries.

The B.C. Wildfire Service said the fire's current size is just under one square kilometre.

There are now no active evacuation alerts related to the fire within the village. However, the evacuation order for One Mile Lake Park, an area south of the community, remains in place as part of efforts to support firefighting measures.

The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District also rescinded an evacuation alert for properties outside the village.

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According to the village, cooler temperatures, higher humidity and lighter winds have helped subdue the blaze.

Northeast of Pemberton, a smaller wildfire near South Green Lake was classified as being under control Saturday evening.

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District has also lifted an evacuation alert for 12 properties near the lake.

A wildfire is deemed under control when it is completely contained within an established perimeter, is no longer growing or spreading and is moving toward being extinguished.

Smoke and dry conditions on the way

According to the B.C. Wildfire Service dashboard, there were more than 100 active wildfires in the province as of Sunday afternoon, with more than 770 wildland firefighters responding to them. The latest provincial situation report said dry and warm conditions will continue to elevate the potential for new wildfire starts.

Most of the fires are concentrated in the southern Interior.

Near Boston Bar, the Brunswick Creek and Ainslie Creek fires remain the only two wildfires of note and continue to burn out of control.

Environment Canada is warning British Columbians to brace for poor air quality in the coming days, even if wildfires are held, brought under control, and as communities downgrade evacuation alerts.

The weather agency said in an air-quality warning Sunday that wildfire smoke is causing or expected to cause poor air quality and reduced visibility across multiple regions in the province over the next 24 to 48 hours.

It said those regions include the Fraser Canyon, the South Thompson and the northeastern corner of the province, with the alert area almost reaching Prince George.

With files from The Canadian Press