VANCOUVER - The start of September typically marks the end of B.C.'s forest fire season, but dry conditions in the forecast for at least the next 10 days mean the situation is as precarious as ever.
Hundreds of fires are burning across the province, and several of those remain dangerously close to residences, prompting a number of evacuation orders keeping people from their homes.
Kim Steinbart of the B.C. Forest Service says this time of year typically marks the end of the fire season, with lower temperatures and frost easing conditions.
But the weather remains hot and dry, and Steinbart says there's no change in those conditions or any rain expected in the near future.
This year's especially active fire season has contributed to the province's financial woes, and a deficit that some predict will increase into the billions when a new budget is revealed on Tuesday.
The running tally of fighting the fires is almost $300 million -- compared with $62 million that had initially been set aside for the entire year.
