Despite the recent spell of cool and damp weather, the Kamloops region isn't quite out of the flames when it comes to fire season.

With temperatures expected to hover in the low- to mid-30s this weekend (Sept. 12/13), Jeanne Rucker, fire information officer at the Kamloops Fire Centre, said the area likely won't see the aggressive fire behaviour as in the past weeks — but there could be some action.

"We possibly could see, not that severe, but more fire behaviour than we've seen the last couple of weeks with the warm weather coming in for the weekend," Rucker said, adding recent rains have saturated the smaller fuels, like twigs, moss and leaves.

"But, as you get into the bigger fuels, like the large branches and logs and larger trees, they're still very dry in most places. It's a surface moisture and it hasn't soaked into the fuels.

"So, while it is more diffiuclt to get a fire going, if it does get going, it is certainly more difficult to put out."

Although the ban on campfires has been lifted, there is still no backyard burning of any kind permitted.

Two active fires in the area are the Martin Mountain fire near Pritchard, which is 2,200 hectares in size, 100 per cent guarded and 80 per contained, and the Notch Hill fire, which is 2,844 hectares in size, 85 per cent contained and 30 per cent controlled.

This year, the total fires to date in the Kamloops centre is 1,015, with 51,600 hectares burned.

Though the number of fires surpass those during the 2003 season by 284, the total hectares burned six years ago was 112,176.

"There are so many factors that determine the outcome of a fire," Rucker said, pointing to lengths heat, drought and humidity.

"And lightning plays large part of the fires in this area."

Of the fires this year, 742 were caused by lightning and 256 were person caused.

Finance Minister Colin Hansen, in Kamloops on Thursday for a speech at a chamber of commerce luncheon, said the final bill for fighting forest fires this year is expected to hit $409 million, about six times the estimate of $65 million.