VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 28 (UPI) -- Weekend lightning strikes raised the number of forest fires burning throughout British Columbia to 448, the Globe and Mail reported Monday.
Hundreds of firefighters battled a 25,000-acre blaze near Vanderhoof, which is 65 miles west of Prince George and has 4,400 residents.
Rain also helped keep some smaller fires in check near Kluskus, a small interior village about 110 miles west of Quesnel.
While rain followed most of the lightning storms, it wasn't sufficient to give firefighters an edge.
"The precipitation we have received has bought us a little bit of time to get a handle on this again," provincial fire information officer Cynthia Mann said.
Weather in the province is expected to be hot and dry again by Wednesday.
British Columbia has been hit with a rash of big, early forest fires and has already spent $25.5 million (US$19 million) fighting fires this season, compared with $7.3 million (US$5.4 million) by the same time last year.
