Canada wildfire: Thousands of people can't return home as blazes rage on

Tens of thousands of people who fled wildfires in western Canada were unable to return home as the massive blazes raged on.

Officials said that 155 fires were still burning in British Columbia province, where the flames have already consumed more than 327,000 hectares of forest and uncultivated land.

Of the active blazes, 15 present a "real threat to communities," said British Columbia fire spokesman Kevin Skrepnek.

Although small numbers of people have been able to return to their homes, around 46,000 people remain displaced by the inferno.

Some 1,000 residents of Cache Creek, around 100 kilometres west of Kamloops, were able to return home 11 days after they were first evacuated, but under warning they may have to flee again at short notice.

"Residents need to be reminded that the village of Cache Creek remains on evacuation alert," local authorities said in a statement. "While the Ashcroft fire continues to remain active, residents must be prepared to leave at any time."

Families who returned home were set to receive about Can$ 600 ($475 US) in aid from the Red Cross, said Transport Canada official Robert Turner.

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