Along with hot weather, new wildfires also on the rise in B.C.

On the first hot weekend of the year, there are 44 wildfires burning across the province, including 17 new ones in the past 24 hours.

According to the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS), most of the new wildfires are located in either the Cariboo (12 total wildfires) or Prince George (24 total wildfires) fire zones, though one is located in the Kamloops (5) fire zone.

That fire, located just northwest of Merritt, was sized at 20 hectares. It was discovered on Saturday, just before noon, and was originally sized at two hectares. BCWS has listed it as being human-caused.

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Four wildfire personnel are on scene, along with members of the Lower Nicola Indian Band and Merritt fire departments.

DriveBC says because of the fire, Highway 97C north of Merritt is closed in both directions. The closure is from Logan Lake to the Highway 8 junction, and a detour is in effect. An update is expected later Saturday.

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The Coastal, Northwest and Southeast fire zones each have one fire.

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The province’s largest fire is in the Cariboo, a 150-hectare blaze located around 90 minutes west of Williams Lake, and nine kilometres southeast of the small community of Alexis Creek.

The Dripping Water fire, discovered on Thursday and listed at 80 hectares that day, is deemed to be out of control.

BC Wildfire said it has 37 ground personnel battling the blaze, along with heavy equipment and air support, and that tactical evacuations were done.

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There are also a small cluster of fires around the Fort St. John and Dawson Creek area of northeastern B.C.

On Saturday, BCWS said it’s responding to several Incidents in the Peace River region, including (wildfire number) G70124, a 50-hectare blaze located north of Highway 29 and Moberly Lake. This fire is said to be highly visible from the highway.

The fire is suspected to be human caused, with BC Wildfire urging the public and industry personnel to exercise caution when conducting outdoor burning, as conditions across the region indicate increased fire danger.

“The weather forecast shows steadily climbing temperatures, clear skies and generally light winds through the weekend,” said BC Wildfire.

“Everyone in the province has a critical role in preventing wildfire. Human-caused fires are completely preventable and divert critical resources away from naturally caused fires.”

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BCWS noted that while there are currently no open fire bans or restrictions in the Prince George Fire Centre, anyone conducting an outdoor burn must adhere to the following precautions:

• Ensure that adequate resources are on hand to control the fire and stop it from spreading
• Never burn in windy conditions.
• Create an appropriately sized fireguard around the planned fire site
• Never leave a fire unattended;
• Make sure that any fire is completely extinguished

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Of the 44, 34 were caused by people, with seven being attributed to lightning. Three fires have unknown causes.

Further, of the 44 active wildfires, 24 are under control, with another seven considered as being held, leaving 13 listed as being out of control.

Overall, since the beginning of April, there have been 107 wildfires, with 63 having been extinguished.

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