Prince George, B.C. – There are now 202  wildfires  in B.C., 15 of them  new as  of yesterday and the  costs  are rising as  quickly  as the flames.

In the latest update from the B.C. Wildfire Management  Branch,  Chief Information Officer Kevin Skrepnik,  says  the  cost of fighting wildfires  since April 1st  is now at $100.5 million,  with $3.8 million  spent yesterday alone.

So far this year,  there have been 959 fires,  which have destroyed 263 thousand hectares.  In comparison,  last year, there had been  448 fires by this time of the year having burned about 11,800 hectares and  costs of $40.2 million.

There  are more than 2300  personnel working  the fires, and more to come.  There is a team of  approximately 50 or so expected to arrive from Australia.

The campfire ban remains  in place for the whole Province, despite the expected shift in the weather which is calling for  showers  over the weekend.