B.C. wildfire outlook more like August, not September, officials say

It may feel like summer is winding down, but late-season wildfires remain a serious concern, B.C.’s Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar said on Wednesday afternoon.

“Over the past week, parts of British Columbia have seen record-breaking high temperatures with little to no rain around most of the province, coupled with over 6,000 lightning strikes that resulted in a sudden increase in the number of wildfires across B.C.,” Parmar said.

“Let me be clear, the risk of new wildfire starts and week-over-week growth remains a serious issue for much of the province, and the immediate weather forecast will continue to create challenging wildfire conditions.”

Parmar said that lighting is expected to return to the coast later this week and the heat is expected to continue through the weekend, with temperatures reaching up to 10 C above normal in some areas, with no significant rain in the forecast.

“As of this afternoon, there are 155 active wildfires burning around British Columbia, with 12 starts in the last 24 hours,” Parmar added.

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“Of these 155 wildfires, 58 are considered out of control, meaning growth is expected for those wildfires.”

1:58 Don’t ‘tough it out’ says BCCDC as wildfire smoke blankets Lower Mainland

In addition, smoke from wildfires in B.C. and Washington State has reached the Lower Mainland and more is expected to arrive in the next 24 to 72 hours.

“We do expect more smoke to arrive in the central and southern Interior tonight or tomorrow, and reach Abbotsford and the coast by Friday,” Parmar added.

“We are still in an active wildfire season. Everybody must do what they can to help prevent new wildfire starts and it is more important than ever to take the necessary steps to remain prepared.”

Cliff Chapman, director of Provincial Operations for the BC Wildfire Service, said the province still has underlying drought conditions, meaning the fuel is very receptive to the heat wave.

“We’re seeing that our fuels are very receptive for this time of year,” he said.

“In particular, September is when we start to see the burning period shrink. Our fuels are less receptive to new starts; they’re less receptive to large fire. This September, we’re seeing kind of the opposite of that. We’re seeing our fuels are very receptive. We’re seeing that new starts are happening when lightning strikes and or when there’s activities on the land base that can start a fire.”

Chapman said this is similar to August conditions; however, the one benefit is the shorter days that come with September.