Hundreds of lightning strikes in many parts of British Columbia nearly tripled the number of active wildfires in the province over the weekend, with most burning in central and northern British Columbia.
The BC Forest Fire Service is now reporting more than 300 fires, with 87 detected in the last 24 hours alone and nearly 200 of the total number classified as out of control.
British Columbia’s Minister of Emergency Management and Weather Preparedness Bowinn Ma is scheduled to provide an update on Monday on current wildfire and drought conditions across the province.
Ma is due to speak at 12:30 pm (Pacific Time). Breaking: will broadcast it live on our website.
The Wildland Fire Service is preparing for challenging conditions, with thunderstorms still in the forecast for most of the week, as well as warnings for heat or above-average temperatures in the central interior.
Of the 13 fires listed as “notable fires,” all but two are located in the Prince George and Northwest fire centers, and the wildfire service says 11 have prompted at least one evacuation order, though no major communities are threatened.
rural roads threatened
Some of the fires threaten rural highways, including Highway 27 south of Fort St. James and Highway 77 north of Fort Nelson, while flames first detected last Thursday near the Yukon border now cover 1,000 square miles near Highway 37, but they’re not. immediately affecting the link to Watson Lake and Whitehorse.
A wildfire in the Yukon has nearly tripled in size since Sunday and continues to rage out of control, charring about two square miles of brush in the Ibex Valley, about 30 miles west of Whitehorse, south of the Alaska Highway, prompting an evacuation alert for numerous properties. along the route.
BC wildfire danger was high to extreme in all but small pockets of the province on Monday.
severe storm watch
Environment Canada issued a severe storm watch for the Fort Nelson and Peace River regions, the same area where large fires forced evacuations in July.
The weather bureau noted that daily high temperature records were set in the province on Sunday, including a high of 33C at Fort Nelson, two degrees higher than the previous record for that northeastern community, set 64 years ago.
Forecasters also said Nakusp, in southeast BC, recorded a temperature of 37.2°C on Sunday, beating a record set 22 years earlier.
While no daily highs were recorded in the Yukon, the territory remains under heat advisories that extend nearly 500 kilometers from its borders with BC and the Northwest Territories north of Mayo.
Conditions could improve a bit in BC by Tuesday, but Environment Canada said cooler weather in the Yukon isn’t likely for several more days.
