Canadian officials have eased wildfire evacuation orders in a scenic British Columbia region

By ROB GILLIES and JIM MORRIS
Associated Press

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Canadian firefighters have begun easing evacuation orders in a scenic region of British Columbia, with the prospect of better weather raising hopes for the battle to contain wildfires. In Northwest Territories, a weekend of cooler temperatures, favorable winds and some rain allowed fire teams outside the provincial capital of Yellowknife to shift their efforts Tuesday to quelling the blaze after spending days just keeping it from advancing on the city. Those are just two of the 386 wildfires that authorities say are currently burning in Canada, which has seen a record number of wildfires this year. The fires have chased tens of thousands of people from their homes and also sent smoke into parts of the U.S.