Prince George, B.C.  –   The price tag  associated with  the 2017 wildfire season in B.C  may never truly be known, but the  costs for fire suppression  and  evacuee support are  adding up.

As of Friday, the  cost of  wildfire suppression efforts alone had  topped the $384 million dollar mark.

When compared to the costs for fire suppression in  previous years  for the entire  fire season,  2017 is at the top of the list for expenses, and  the  season is  not yet over.

In 2009,  the cost  for fire suppression for the full season was $382 million,    and  in 2003, the  tab for the full season was $375 million.  Although the  figures are not  adjusted for inflation,  it is a pretty safe bet that with much of the fire season  remaining in 2017, and the fire suppression bill already topping $384 million,  that this year  will be  the most expensive  in  two decades.

The costs for support  to evacuees and businesses   has  hit  $20 million dollars.  That funding coming from the $100 million the Province announced when the crisis  flared up in early July.  The $20 million spent includes the  $1500  in emergency funding available to  small businesses which have  been adversely affected by the wildfires.   More than a thousand small businesses  have applied for that emergency funding.