The past week has been tough for wildfires in BC, with more than 100 new fires burning across the province, but a change to cooler weather is expected to ease crews.
BC wildfire service information officer Jean Strong said crews have been able to bring most of the new fires under control thanks to preparations ahead of the anticipated lightning and hot weather last week, along with the ‘help from members of the public who have reported fires. as they appear.
“While it’s been a very active weekend and we’ve definitely seen a few new fires and some serious growth and behavior on some of the bigger ones, we’ve also seen a lot of success,” he said Tuesday.
According to Strong, there were nearly 4,000 lightning strikes across the province between Friday morning and Saturday afternoon, and those have been responsible for most of the new fires.
He said there have been 124 new fires in the province in the past seven days, but 80 per cent of them are out, contained or under control by firefighters.
Almost half of those fires, 54 in all, were sparked in the Kamloops Fire Center region in the southern interior. Of these, nine are still considered out of control.
“The rest of the week, we’re hoping for some good news and some time to put our crews in the best position on some of these larger fires,” Strong said.
This includes the Keremeos Creek Wildfirelocated about 21 kilometers southwest of Penticton.
This fire is now estimated to be 27.9 square kilometers in size and has so far prompted evacuation orders for 324 properties. Another 438 properties are on evacuation alert.
The forest fire destroyed a cabin, but there were no injuries. A total of 144 firefighters and nine helicopters are on the scene battling the blaze, along with some heavy equipment.
Strong said the fire has caused the periodic closure of Highway 3 and said anyone traveling in the area should check DriveBC before hitting the road.
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Another major fire inside, the Nohomin Creek fire northwest of Lytton, it continues to grow slowly on steep, rocky terrain, Strong said. The latest estimate of its size is 31.6 square kilometers.
Strong said the wildfire service has had significant help on this fire from Lytton First Nation firefighters.
He encouraged people who spot new wildfires to report them using the BC Wildfire Service app, which allows users to upload photos of what they’re seeing.
On Friday, the public made 13 reports of new fires with attached photos, according to Strong.
“Our operational teams were delighted. It really proved to be a useful tool,” he said.
Also Tuesday, the province announced campfires will be banned in the Southeast Fire Center region starting at noon Thursday. Fireworks, fireplaces, tiki torches, burn barrels and sky lanterns will also be prohibited.
A previously announced campfire ban will also begin Thursday in the Kamloops Fire Center region.
A map showing the different regional fire stations in British Columbia. (BC Wildfire Service)