Federal officials to give an update on B.C. wildfire ahead of concerning weather

Some people displaced by wildfires in British Columbia are heading home now that evacuation orders have been lifted.

Officials say several hundred properties around Princeton in the south Okanagan and a rural area in the Cariboo region north of Williams Lake are safe to return to.

An evacuation order for an area including 100 Mile House also has been lifted, but air quality remains poor and an evacuation alert will remain in effect for the region.

While residents are able to return to the 100 Mile House and surrounding area, officials say nearby locations remain on evacuation order and security will be in place to enforce the order in those areas.

They say residents are returning to an area that has been "profoundly affected" by wildfire and services such as grocery stores and heath care may be limited for some time.

There are 161 active wildfires in the province, 14 of which started on Friday.

Fire information officer Navi Saini said windy conditions in the forecast for southern parts of the province Sunday could worsen the situation, particularly for three major fires in the Cariboo region that crews have not yet been able to contain.

"The winds are something we will continue to monitor. It is something that can definitely increase fire behaviour," Saini said.

Approximately 44,000 people remain displaced and federal officials visiting affected communities on Saturday are expected to give an update on the state of the response.

Members of a federal ad hoc committee leading the government's fire response, including Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, have been meeting with provincial officials in Prince George and Kamloops.

Some areas received rain earlier in the week, but Saini said it wasn't enough to douse the larger, highly active fires in the Cariboo region that have grown to tens of thousands of hectares in size.

Cariboo Regional District Chairman Al Richmond said officials are continuing to prepare for evacuees from Williams Lake to return home with plans to get emergency medical facilities running and to stock up grocery stores.

But he said there is still no timeline in place for when residents can finally go back, and if Mother Nature brings more fires this weekend, that could add to the uncertainty about how long evacuation orders will remain in place.

There are 3,801 firefighters and personnel responding to the crisis across the province. Saini said Saturday the BC Wildfire Service has spent $122 million to date this season on fire suppression.