By Canadian Press Staff More than 500 homes or other structures have been destroyed or damaged by wildfires in British Columbia this year, in a level of devastation comparable to some of the worst recent fire seasons. While the area of 4,300 square kilometres burned by the more than 1,000 fires so far this year has only been a fraction of the area burned in other years \u2014 such as 2023 when a record 29,000 square kilometres burned \u2014 the structural losses have been piling up. By comparison, the B.C. government said about 600 structures were destroyed or damaged in 2023, including about 400 homes, many of them around Okanagan Lake, where losses have again been concentrated. In 2017, 509 structures were destroyed, including 229 homes. The worst recent human… <\/p>\n
By Canadian Press Staff More than 500 homes or other structures have been destroyed or damaged by wildfires in British Columbia this year, in a level of devastation comparable to some of the worst recent fire seasons. While the area of 4,300 square kilometres burned by the more than 1,000 fires so far this year has only been a fraction of the area burned in other years \u2014 such as 2023 when a record 29,000 square kilometres burned \u2014 the structural losses have been piling up. By comparison, the B.C. government said about 600 structures were destroyed or damaged in 2023, including about 400 homes, many of them around Okanagan Lake, where losses have again been concentrated. In 2017, 509 structures were destroyed, including 229 homes. The worst recent human... <\/p>\n