The travel restrictions related to the wildfires have ended in most interior areas of southern British Columbia, except for west Kelowna.

After speaking with evacuees, Premier David Eby stated that the province can begin to consider recovery and rebuilding efforts.

Some officials in British Columbia also mentioned that work can now commence on recovering from the devastating wildfires, although the full extent of the destruction in the southern interior of the province has not yet been assessed.

Premier David Eby visited the Okanagan and Shuswap areas on Tuesday, where he met with evacuees and witnessed some of the destruction in the Kelowna area himself.

He promised support for those who had to leave their homes and stated that federal, local, and provincial officials would assist in starting the recovery process.

Firefighters in the southern interior continue to battle a number of large wildfires even as cooler and wetter weather is expected in the region.

In the same context, the Wildfire Service reported that 120 firefighters from the prairies and 105 structural firefighters have been deployed to the Bush Creek East fire in the Shuswap area, while dense smoke in the area continues to hinder the use of fixed-wing water bombers to combat the fire.

The Columbia Shuswap Regional District confirmed on Tuesday that the fire had led to the evacuation of 11,000 people and the destruction of buildings, including the fire hall in Scotch Creek.

The Canadian Environmental Agency also issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the area late Tuesday, calling for the possibility of heavy rainfall along with lightning overnight.

Forecasts indicate the possibility of rain continuing later today, with daily temperatures reaching 18 degrees Celsius and a 70 percent chance of rain in the afternoon lasting until early evening in communities like Salmon Arm.

However, the wet weather is also expected to be accompanied by possible lightning and wind gusts up to 50 km/h.

Rain is also expected on Wednesday in Kelowna, with a 60 percent chance of precipitation to assist firefighters in battling the Macdougall Creek fire, which has destroyed up to 200 structures in central Okanagan.

The province has lifted most travel restrictions related to wildfires in the southern interior, except for west Kelowna, where firefighters have reported good progress on several fires amid favorable weather conditions.

Eby said at a press conference on Tuesday: “We will ensure that we provide support for people as they return to their homes to be taken care of and begin the rebuilding process.” He noted that this will take some time, but less than it could have been thanks to the efforts of our firefighting crews.

More than 27,000 people remain out of their homes across British Columbia due to the wildfires, with thousands of firefighters on the front lines.