©BCWildfireService

Wildfire activity in B.C. has increased significantly in recent days, with 600 properties under evacuation order and thousands more on alert, officials said in a briefing Tuesday. …The B.C. Wildfire Service says close to 34,000 lightning strikes were recorded during the final half of last week and have heightened fire activity across the province. As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 85 fires burning, 79 per cent of them believed to have been ignited by lightning. This has resulted in 600 properties being placed under evacuation order, mostly in the Fraser Canyon, and 5,700 more being put on alert, the majority in the Kimberley area, according to Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Minister Kelly Greene. She said the province is supporting 430 evacuees, and encouraged anyone at risk of having to leave their homes to pre-register for emergency support services. …Two new evacuation orders were issued Monday for the Downing Park area southwest of Clinton due to the Pear Lake wildfire.