The BC Wildfire Service is warning every British Columbian that the next 24 to 48 hours have the potential to be the most challenging of the summer’s already record-breaking wildfire season.
Cliff Chapman, director of wildfire operations, said Thursday that conditions in the province’s forests are primed for significant fire growth and the possibility of new fires.
He said a cold front is pushing up into the warm air, which creates erratic winds and will bring dry lightning.
Chapman said this cold air mass started in the northern part of the province, will sweep through the Cariboo and will eventually make its way to the South Coast and Coastal Fire Centre.
“We are expecting to see growth on the fires on the next 24 hours into Thursday evening and Friday morning,” Chapman said at a press conference Thursday.
Get breaking National news
More resources are coming, he added, but if ever there were a time to have an evacuation plan for yourself and your family, it’s now.
“Now is not the time to not adhere to evacuation orders,” he said. “This weather has the potential to be erratic.”
Chapman added the reason this weather event is so concerning is because it is province-wide and the biggest potential impacts are in the southern part of B.C.
This warning comes after days of prolonged hot, dry weather has led to what officials are calling “extreme fire behaviour” in the Southern Interior.
Crews had to evacuate 80 campers from Cathedral Provincial Park outside Keremeos on Wednesday due to two fires in the area — the Casper Creek and Gillanders Creek fires, which merged amid high winds on Tuesday.
They have now combined into one, the Crater Creek wildfire, which has now burned an estimated 10,000 hectares.
An emergency operations centre has been activated in the Central Okanagan after the McDougall Creek wildfire placed thousands of homes under evacuation alert Wednesday night.
Up to 4,800 properties have been placed on evacuation alert in the following communities:
- Bartley Road
- Bear Creek Provincial Park
- Pine Point
- Raymer Bay
- Rose Valley
- Sailview Bay
- Shannon Woods
- Smith Creek
- Tallus Ridge
- Traders Cove
- West Kelowna Estates
- West Kelowna Industrial and Business Park
- Portions of Westbank First Nation IR#9
- Portions of Westbank First Nation IR#10
- Portions of the Central Okanagan West Electoral Area south of Bear Creek Main Forest Service Road, including the Bear Creek Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Site
Due to the number of properties under alert, refer to the interactive map on cordemergency.ca to search by street address to determine if you are affected.
Bear Creek Provincial Park is also under an evacuation alert and campers are advised to be ready to leave the area.
Comments