Number of wildfires in B.C. falls to below 250; cooler temperatures

Emergency Management BC says the number of active wildfires in the province has fallen below 250.

The agency says in a news release that the number of active wildfires in B.C. is about 240 and 22 of those fires are considered of note, which means they are highly visible or pose a potential threat to public safety.

It says more than 3,400 firefighters from B.C. and more than 400 from out-of-province are helping fight the fires.

The BC Wildfire Service says some of the major blazes _ such as White Rock Lake, Tremont Creek and Lytton Creek _ are still classified as out of control.

The province has about 45 evacuation orders and 90 alerts in place, which means people should be ready to leave at short notice.

Environment Canada is forecasting cooler temperatures with cloudy conditions or light rain and the mercury staying below 20 Celsius across most of the province.