Lightning drives uptick in B.C. wildfires as more than 400 burn across province

Despite the arrival of cooler weather for the southern half of the province, the B.C. government is warning the risk of wildfires is far from over.

“I would love to say this is a sign we are winding down the wildfire season, but it is not,” Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma said at a Tuesday briefing.

“Wildfires remain extremely active throughout the province with more than 400 fires active and dozens of new fire starts daily.”

1:55 Changing weather could impact wildfire situation in central B.C.

The BC Wildfire Service says hot and dry weather paired with 29 consecutive days of lightning has led to the more than 400 active wildfires burning across the province.

And though seasonable temperatures are forecast to return this week, the service says new lightning-caused fires are expected to persist.

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It is reporting 256 new fire starts in the last seven days, about 82 per cent of which are believed to have been caused by lightning.

“We must remain vigilant. We still have a number of weeks of core wildfire season left, and the risk throughout British Columbia remains,” Ma said.

Despite the threat, Ma said crews have made progress battling fires that were threatening communities.

The number of people under evacuation orders and alerts combined peaked at about 5,000 she said, which has fallen to 55 evacuees and 2,200 people under evacuation alerts.

1:41 Parts of Highway 16, and Highway 93 reopen through Jasper National Park

Of the more than 420 fires burning across the province, 117 are considered out of control.

There are five fires of note in the province, meaning they are either highly visible or pose a threat to public safety and infrastructure, all of them are burning in southern B.C.

Campfires continue to be banned across B.C. except for the Prince George Fire Centre and one zone in the Northwest Fire Centre.

With files from Global News