Warning issued after lightning causes 100 fires in 24 hours across B.C.

Fire crews in B.C. have responded to more than 100 new fires in the last 24 hours due to lightning, BC Forest Fire Info confirmed.

Officials said with such a large amount of naturally occurring fires, it is important to avoid any human-caused fires, especially with an influx of people flooding B.C.’s campsites, parks and beaches this long weekend.

Fire information officer Kevin Skrepnek said an unstable weather pattern will bring more lightning during the weekend and while rain is also in the forecast, that doesn’t remove the risk of fire.

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“Some people get the assumption that it’s removed the danger. Not at all,” Skrepnek said.

“It takes a pretty sustained period of cooler weather and precipitation to lower the fire danger rating, especially given the amount of days we’ve seen in a pretty hot and dry situation. And of course, with that rain came lighting, which has now created a whole raft of new fires that we need to be responding to.”

There are several areas throughout the province where open fires and campfires are currently restricted, including coastal areas, Kamloops and the Cariboo.

In areas where campfires are allowed, officials are urging people to keep the fires small and to fully extinguish them.

With files from the Canadian Press