A cool front cleared Metro Vancouver's hazy skies over the weekend, but offered little relief for those fighting wildfires across the Cariboo.

Several new evacuation orders and alerts were issued, including the expansion of an order from Alexis Creek to Riske Creek and a new evacuation order for Canim Lake on Saturday, and a new evacuation order for Hawkins Lake on Sunday afternoon. 

Al Richmond, Chair of the Cariboo Regional District, said that the Canim Lake fire caught residents by surprise, but he hopes evacuees will be able to return to their homes today.

"It was a very fast moving fire and stayed mostly on the ridge," he said, adding that crews have managed to surround the fires and protect all threatened properties.

Richmond said that residents of Canim Lake had not previously been under evacuation alert when the order to leave came into effect.

"The fires at Canim Lake and Hawkins lake were because of lightning strikes, and so those fires came very quickly. Those areas were quite a distance from any alert or order at that time. So it was a bit of surprise to have that happen to those folks there," he said.

"I think everyone was being very cautious and at the time the fires happened, it was just dark enough that they could actually see the flames, and so it moved very quickly."

Richmond said around 550 people were affected by the new evacuation orders.

RCMP assisted in facilitating the evacuations over the weekend. Many evacuees traveled to 100 Mile House, where they were met by volunteers. 

Weather remains unpredictable

Richmond said that despite the lightning strikes and windy conditions, conditions over the weekend were not as poor as expected.

"We got a little more rain in some areas than anticipated, and a little less wind than anticipated. The rain helped temper the fires a little," he said. 

"This morning the smoke has moved in, it's quite heavy, it's a good indication that it'll help suppress the heat, and help keep the fires a little less active than they would be if we had a clear day.

"Folks have a tendency to get a little relaxed when they see a clear, sunny day, when that's quite often when the fires are making their moves and they're quite active."