Most evacuation orders from Princeton wildfire to be lifted

Hundreds of people will soon be allowed to return to their homes in the Princeton area,two weeksafter they were ordered out because of a wildfire.

The Regional District ofOkanagan-Similkameensaid that most evacuation orders will be lifted at 10 a.m. Saturday, althoughresidents will remain on evacuation alert.

An evacuation order is still in effect for 17 homes along the southern end of Summers Creek Road, however, because of unstable rock slopes and the potential for falling trees.

Highway 5A, one of two major roads through the town, is expected to reopen on Monday.

Further north, Williams Lake Mayor Walt Cobb suggested Friday night on Facebookthat some evacuees could be allowed to return to the city of 10,000 early next week, if conditions stay calm and roads are reopened.

Lake Country wildfire deemed suspicious

Meanwhile, RCMP in the Interior are investigating a wildfire in B.C.'s Lake Country district on the weekendassuspicious and likely human caused.

The fire resulted in an evacuation order that affected 58 homes. More than 30 were damagedand eight were completely destroyed.

Staff Sgt. Annie Linteau would not elaborate on why police believe the fire to be human caused, saying the investigation is still ongoing.

Linteau said the RCMP have set up a dedicated tip line and is encouraging anyone with relevant information to give it a call at 250-707-8025.

Fires holding steady despite rain

The province saw some scattered rain showers on Thursday, but fire information officer Navi Saini said it wasn't enough to make a significant impact on the overall wildfire situation.

The B.C. Wildfire Service is still reporting 22 fires of note in the province, 15 of which are threatening structures (also known as interface fires).

Though recent days have been relatively calm and have seen several evacuation orders lifted, Environment Canada is calling for wind to pick up across the province on Sunday, which could cause the fires to flare up.

The province estimates about 43,000 people are still out of their homes due to the fires.