Weekend Rain Dampens BC Wildfire Activity, Decreasing Number of Active Blazes
Rain and cool weather in southern British Columbia is dampening wildfire activity in the province, but firefighters are still urging caution despite the decrease in active blazes.
The BC Wildfire Service reports approximately 320 active wildfires in the province, showing a downward trend this week with only seven new fires starting in the past 24 hours and 26 fires being extinguished.
Over 100 wildfires have been put out in the last week, and firefighters are taking advantage of the calmer fire behavior and reduced spread rates.
The only significant fire in the province is the 2-square-kilometre Corya Creek wildfire in northwestern B.C., located about 170 kilometers northeast of Terrace.
However, despite the improved weather conditions, the BC Wildfire Service warns that the cool weather may bring higher winds, posing a risk of falling trees to crews working at wildfire sites.
Due to a “wind event,” the wildfire service had to move personnel from the South Rockies Incident Management Team camp near Invermere late Friday, though no injuries were reported.
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“Staff were safely relocated to a warm and dry location at the Columbia Valley Centre,” the service stated in a Facebook post.
“The wind event does not pose any issues or concerns for the fires being managed… Firefighting efforts will continue as planned despite the staff relocation.”
According to Environment Canada, rain is expected over the weekend in various parts of southern B.C., including Vancouver, Kamloops, the Okanagan, Revelstoke, and Cranbrook.
