Several fires expected to start in southern B.C. in weeks ahead

With little rain forecast and above-normal temperatures expected, British Columbia’s Southern Interior is anticipated to be the hot bed of fire activity in the coming weeks.

Speaking to media Thursday morning, Neal McLoughlin with the BC Wildfire Service, said the fire danger will shift from the northern reaches of the province to the south.

The prolonged hot, dry spell in mid-to-late July, he said, steadily dried out fuel and pushed the fire danger high and extremely high in several parts of the province. And as the high-pressure ridge broke down, lightning and strong wind gusts showed up. This resulted in over 35,000 lightning strikes in the southern and north-east portion of the province.

During the past seven days, 154 new fires sparked up in the province. The government said about 75 per cent were caused by lightning.

“We are anticipating a similar number of fire-starts throughout August as we observed in the later part of July,” he said.

As of Aug. 3, there were 91 active fires in the province. Six are considered ‘of note’, meaning the fire is especially visible or poses a threat to public safety.

Despite the recent surge in activity, this season’s 528 wildfires have burned a total of 22,000 hectares. While significant, it is well below last year’s numbers. At this time in 2021, more than 1,300 fires were burning in British Columbia, and nearly 25 times the hectares had already been scorched.

Fire forecasters say this year’s activity is similar to 2020 and 2011. McLoughlin said new fire starts should peak in mid-August.

Forests Minister Katrine Conroy said with the uptick in activity, people are urged to take proactive measures to mitigate fire risk at their homes. This can include removing any stray leaves and branches close to the home and to cut grass short.

“It’s clear that there has been a significant shift in our weather, from the cool, wet conditions we experienced in May and June that kept wildfire activity to a minimum,” she said. “as we are not well into the hot and dry weather of August, I want to stress the importance of being prepared, planning ahead, and staying informed.”

By the Numbers

Burning in the Okanagan, the Keremeos Creek fire is estimated at about 3,000 hectares. Several evacuation alerts and orders have gone out in the area.

Public Safety Minster Mark Farnworth said 326 properties in the province are under an evacuation order. Another 500, he said, are under evacuation alert. Last year at this time, there were almost 4,300 properties under orders, and another 21,000 on alert.

As of Aug. 2, 197 evacuees had registered for emergency support services in the province’s Interior.

BC Wildfire has about 1,000 firefighters in the field or on standby, and five incident management teams and 110 helicopters and planes are supporting ground crews.

“People’s lives and safety are our number one priority,” he said. “If you are placed under evacuation order, leave immediately.”