Thousands of evacuation orders remain in effect as B.C.'s grim wildfires battle goes on

British Columbia's desperate battle against hundreds of wildfires continues on multiple fronts Sunday, but no new evacuation orders have been added overnight to the thousands already in place across the province.

British Columbia's desperate battle against hundreds of wildfires continues on multiple fronts Sunday, but no new evacuation orders have been added overnight to the thousands already in place across the province.

B.C. Premier David Eby said Saturday the situation was "grim" as he announced an emergency travel ban to fire zones to free up accommodation for 30,000 or more evacuees across the province, as well as fire crews.

The last new evacuation order was issued at 1:33 p.m. Saturday for residents of the tiny lakeside community of Sorrento on Highway 1, due to the Lower East Adams Lake fire complex which has caused extensive regional destruction in the Columbia Shuswap in the southern Interior.

In the central Okanagan to the south, ground zero for a massive fight against blazes on both sides of Lake Okanagan, no new orders have been issued since 9:18 p.m. Friday.

Hundreds of firefighters there are engaged against fires that have been looming over Kelowna and West Kelowna, causing significant destruction of homes.

Most of the province's evacuees are from the central Okanagan.

Kelowna fire chief Travis Whiting said about 10,700 properties have been ordered to evacuate in the region, with a further 9,500 on evacuation alert.