There were 236 new wildfires sparked across British Columbia over the last week, the vast majority of which are believed to have been caused by lightning.
That total – provided by the B.C. Wildfire Service on Monday – includes 34 fires ignited since Sunday morning.
On Saturday, an out-of-control wildfire prompted an evacuation order in the Village of Valemount, though displaced residents were allowed to return home the next day.
Mayor Owen Torgerson thanked local and provincial firefighters for their quick work responding to the fire.
“I’m not going to lie, this had potential to hit a lot of the fuel loads along the CN Rail corridor and make its way into town,” Torgerson told CTV News on Monday. “This fire became the number one provincial priority in terms of getting it under control as quickly as possible.”
The mayor said Valemount is “open for business” Monday as a result …