Fire crews contain Nazko wildfire in B.C. Cariboo

Fire crews in B.C.'sCariboo regionsay theyhave contained two wildfires near Nazko and 70 Mile House, but they're concerned about an early start to the wildfire season.

The Nazko fire grew to 1,000hectares and was knocked down to 300 hectares last week.Firefighters say they have also contained a 26-hectare fire southeast of 70 Mile house.

"It definitely is concerning to us that we have had so many wildfires already this season," said fire information officer Emily Epp. "It definitely is above what we usually see at this time of year."

• Wildfire near Nazko estimated knocked from 1,000 hectares down to 300
• 2015 B.C. fire season one of the worst in past decade
• B.C. Fires: Province burns through wildfire budget again

Eppsays the Cariboo has seen 39 human-caused fires already this spring. The province has restricted open fires in the area.

"We put in the prohibitions due to the amount of human-caused fires that we're seeing, as well as the drier conditions in theCariboo," she said.

"We had a lowersnowpackthan normal, and we saw things dry out as the snow melted early this year."

Epp says it's too early to predict if it will be a bad year for fires in the Cariboo.

She says a lot depends on the amount of rain the region gets in June and how hot and dry the summer will be.

With files from Brady Strachan