1,230 wildfires, 4,250 square kilometres of land burned in B.C. since April 1
British Columbia is “significantly ahead” of the 10-year average in terms of the number of fires and the area that has been scorched so far this year, says the director of fire centre operations at the BC Wildfire Service.
Rob Schweitzer said Tuesday the province has seen 1,230 blazes resulting in 4,250 square kilometres of land burned since April 1 and it's only halfway through the wildfire season. The 10-year average for the same period is about 642 fires and 1,050 square kilometres burned, he told a news conference.
A crew of 34 specialists from Australia is set to bolster the 208 out-of-province personnel working alongside more than 3,000 firefighters and others on B.C.'s fire lines, he said.
Teams from Alberta, Quebec, Mexico, and members of the Canadian Armed Forces are already deployed on some of the more than three dozen blazes that the wildfire service says are either highly visible or immediately threatening properties.
One of those is a 120-square kilometre fire west of Kamloops that flared overnight, forcing the closure of Highway 97C between Ashcroft and the Highland Valley copper mine. The road has since reopened, but the wildfire service warned that increased fire activity means the route could close again with little or no notice.
Schweitzer said there were several reports of people on the weekend who did not heed evacuation orders, which meant precious resources were diverted to help those trapped behind fire lines.
“Most people in B.C. have never experienced an active wildfire event, and the conditions that we're seeing this year, are some of the most extreme that have ever been experienced in this province,” he said.
“Those situations can be disorienting and confusing, and your ability to keep yourself, your family safe may be severely impacted.”
Evacuation orders were in effect for just over 3,700 properties across the province, while alerts covered about 18,000 more, meaning people had been told to be ready to leave their homes on short notice, the government said on Tuesday.
Schweitzer said officials were paying close attention to the forecast and instability in the atmosphere that creates lightning.
The forecast shows a “mixed bag” with temperatures reaching almost 40 C in the south Okanagan, but the blessing is that winds are not going to be extreme, he said.
“The wind is actually our biggest enemy in this case, even though we do not welcome the hot temperatures and low humidities, it's the wind that we're really concerned about,” he said.
“We will see those higher temperatures so burning will increase, but we're hoping not to any significant amount.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE AT 2:30 2-hour wildfire evacuation notice issued for some Fort McMurray neighbourhoods
A wildfire evacuation alert for some Fort McMurray residents has been updated to a two-hour evacuation notice.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
American sought after 'So I raped you' Facebook message detained in France on 2021 warrant
An American accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, 'So I raped you,' has been detained in France after a three-year search.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
1 killed, 3 injured in head-on crash on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa
Ontario Provincial Police are responding to a fatal collision involving two vehicles on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday morning.
Protesters gather at Ottawa City Hall after Israeli flag raised to mark country's national day
The Israeli flag is flying at Ottawa City Hall today to mark the country's national day, with plans to hold a private ceremony to mark Israel's Independence Day. There is a significant police presence at City Hall, including security barriers outside the main doors.
8 dead, at least 40 injured as farmworkers' bus overturns in central Florida
A bus carrying farmworkers in central Florida overturned on Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring about 40 other passengers, authorities said.