B.C. saw same number of fires, much less land burned in 2022 season, wildfire service says
The 2022 wildfire season is not yet over, but it's been winding down, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service's final status update of the year.
Issued Friday, the update notes that there are currently 166 wildfires burning in the province, with 82 per cent of those classified as "being held" or "under control."
"Over the last week, there were 24 new fire starts and three fires started in the last 24 hours," the BCWS said in the update, adding that the majority of those fires were held under one hectare.
"Though a downturn in activity has been observed, there is still no season ending weather in the forecast as conditions remain dry with above seasonal temperatures throughout most of the province," the service continued.
Compared to the devastating 2021 season, 2022 has been a down year for wildfires. The season started slowly with cooler-than-average weather and above-average precipitation in June.
Despite the slow start, there had been a total of 1,577 fires sparked in the province in 2022 as of Friday. That's only slightly lower than the 1,610 fires seen in 2021, according to the BCWS.
On average, over the last 10 years, there have been 1,403 wildfires per year in B.C.
Though there were nearly as many of them, this year's fires burned a much smaller land area than 2021's did. So far in 2022, 109,104 hectares – or about 1,091 square kilometres – have burned. In 2021, the total was 868,204 hectares, or about 8,682 square kilometres.
B.C.'s 10-year average is 433,186 hectares (roughly 4,332 square kilometres) of wildfire damage per year.
As of last week, there are no longer any wildfires of note in B.C. The last one – the Battleship Mountain wildfire, which caused the evacuation of the entire district of Hudson's Hope earlier this month – was classified as "being held" and removed from the list on Sept. 24.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.