Cooler conditions bring some hope as Canada wildfires rage on

Wildfires ravaging Canada’s British Columbia province are showing some signs of easing and the weather conditions should improve through Monday into Tuesday, through crews are still battling “epic” blazes, emergency officials said.

More than 35,000 people have been driven out of their homes over the past four days as flames spread in the western region, forcing the federal government to deploy the military.

Blazes are also raging further north as Canada reels from its worst wildfire season on record, which many experts have blamed on climate change. Other fires, exacerbated by severe drought, have been reported closer to the U.S. border and in the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

British Columbia, which sits on Canada’s Pacific coast, could get some rains this week from Tropical Storm Hilary, which hit California on Sunday, forecasters have said.

Jerrad Schroeder, deputy manager at the Kamloops Fire Centre, said late on Sunday he was expecting “really good” firefighting conditions over the next 24-36 hours with temperatures down in the mid-20s degrees Celsius and humidity rising.

via Reuters