The Cariboo Regional District (CRD) has upped the numbers of homes lost to wildfires in the area to 41.

鈥淚t is quite likely the number will go up,鈥� says CRD Chair Al Richmond. Many areas have been too hot or dangerous for assessment teams to reach so far.

To date, the CRD has only announced two homes lost in the South Cariboo region, to families in the 108 Mile Ranch area. Four houses, a shop and a shed were also announced as lost earlier in the 150 Mile House area.

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It鈥檚 only been the past two days that assessments have been completed in the Abel Lake Road, Lily Pad Lake Road and Exeter McKinley areas, some of the first to be evacuated in the CRD.

鈥淲e鈥檙e presently trying to contact those people,鈥� says Richmond.

Richmond says he is unable to give a breakdown until he has finished contacting the people who have lost their homes, something that is proving difficult because of how evacuees have dispersed.

鈥淔inding them is a problem because everyone is listed by home number, and there are no cell numbers [and] everyone has relocated,鈥� he says.

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鈥淚 would like to express my sincere regrets to those who have lost homes and other structures in the Cariboo region. I encourage our communities to extend love and support to these families as we do so well here in the Cariboo,鈥� says Richmond. 鈥淎lso, thank you to the BC Wildfire Service and all the structural firefighters who continue to work so hard to protect our communities. I cannot express how thankful we are for your continued efforts.鈥�