The number of wildfires has ticked up in British Columbia as a hot, sunny week ended with thunderstorms and lightning in southern areas of the province.
BC Wildfire Service figures on Friday showed close to 90 active blazes, up from 68 on Wednesday, with about two dozen classified as burning out of control.
The service’s provincial situation report said parts of the Interior and the coastal fire centre saw some dry thunderstorm activity Friday morning.
It said further lightning strikes were expected in the southern half of B.C., including Vancouver Island, throughout the day.
Many areas where lightning was striking are hot and dry, with forest fuels highly susceptible to ignition, it said.
Environment Canada had issued thunderstorm bulletins for the Fraser Canyon, Nicola and South Thompson areas on Friday, including Lytton and Kamloops, as well as a short-lived warning for the Similkameen region.
The bulletins spanned areas that have been subject to an ongoing heat warning.
The weather office said temperatures were expected to dip slightly, but the Fraser Canyon and South Thompson areas would see daytime highs in the mid-30s.
A heat warning remained in effect for inland sections of the North Coast, including Kitimat and Terrace, ahead of a gradual cooling trend expected over the weekend.
Smoke and haze were visible across much of southern B.C. on Friday and may increase over the weekend, the wildfire service noted.
Smoke prompted Environment Canada to issue a special air quality statement for the Chilcotin region Friday, with the weather office encouraging people to limit time outdoors until conditions improve.
On Vancouver Island, meanwhile, the Transportation Ministry said it was working with a forestry company to reopen Bamfield Main Road after wildfire rendered parts of the route unsafe.
It said a 1.5-kilometre stretch of the road remains closed due to unstable slopes and hazards including falling rocks, dangerous trees, temporary BC Hydro cables running alongside the route and the risk of debris flows in the event of rain.
“Due to the complex nature of the recovery … the ministry has assumed the lead role for developing a reopening strategy for this section,” the statement said.
In the meantime, it said drivers must continue to take a detour through Youbou.
With the once-raging Mount Underwood blaze now classified as being held at its current perimeter, the ministry said crews would begin assessing the area, removing dangerous trees and repairing power poles.
A timeline for reopening will be shared in a few weeks, it said.
The wildfire service’s website showed 16 new fire starts over the last 24 hours, with 10 blazes declared out.
The latest fires include clusters in remote areas northwest of Whistler and Pemberton, as well as the northwest Cariboo region.