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       A tree candles as the Tremont Creek wildfire burns behind the IG Machine & Fibers roofing granule plant, where rock is crushed and coloured and then shipped elsewhere to create roofing shingles, in Ashcroft, B.C., on July 16, 2021.

       DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press

       British Columbia is reporting a slight increase in the number of active wildfires, but cooler temperatures and forecasts of rain could bring some relief.

       B.C.’s joint information centre reports 247 wildfires burning across the province, with the majority of the fires located in the Kamloops and southeast regions.

       The centre says it has issued 61 evacuation orders and 101 evacuation alerts.

       Across B.C.’s wildfire country, locals live in fear of heat, haze and hazards to come

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       Smoke from wildfires in the Kamloops, Castlegar, Williams Lake and south and central Okanagan areas has prompted Environment Canada to issue high risk alerts.

       Metro Vancouver says it has lifted its air quality advisory for much of the city and the Fraser Valley owing to changing weather patterns.

       The joint information centre says there have been 1,275 wildfires since April 1 and 5016.76 square kilometres have been burned.

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