BC Wildfire forecasting warm, dry September; warns of human-caused fires

September will be a warm and dry month, according to the BC Wildfire Service.

On Friday, BC Wildfire released its seasonal outlook, which says the weather could lead to an increase in forest fires, but cooler nights are also expected.

Further, it said fire behaviour conditions will continue to remain below normal for this time, though B.C.’s southeast region will prove to be an exception.

“Weather conditions are showing a warmer and drier pattern for part of September,” BC Wildfire said on Friday.

“This will allow indices to continue to grow, although shorter days and overnight recoveries moving into the fall will assist in reducing the length of burning periods and aggressive wildfire behaviour.”

Still, it warned that human-caused fires are more common in September than lightning-caused fires.

2:05 B.C.’s Christie Mountain wildfire: Interface-zone homeowners praise efforts of firefighters for saving neighbourhood

Regarding the Kootenays, BC Wildfire said the region will continue to have control difficulties on steep slopes and windy areas.

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Overall, since April 1, there have been 591 wildfires, including 29 in the last two days. The majority of those fires have been in B.C.’s Southern Interior.

This number is well below the 893 wildfires recorded in 2019.

For August, there were 303 wildfires, with 192 being caused by lightning.

1:32 California wildfires have scorched nearly a million acres