VANCOUVER -- With more than two dozen wildfires still active in B.C., the province's crews braced for strong winds to impact their response over the long weekend.
The B.C. Wildfire Service posted to Twitter Sunday that wind gusts up to 80 km/h could affect the Doctor Creek and Talbott Creek fires.
On Monday, the wildfire service repeated the warning, saying activity at Doctor Creek "will likely increase and could push the fire in new directions." As of 9 a.m., that fire – near the Canal Flats, north of Cranbrook – was measured at just over 7,900 hectares.
Over at Talbott Creek, which is in the Slocan Valley north of Castlegar, preparations were made Sunday in case of increased winds.
"Planning is also underway to have overnight monitoring of the fire through this wind event as well as prepping structure protection resources as a precautionary measure over the coming days," the wildfire service said Sunday about the 521-hectare fire.
A special weather statement is in place for the Okanagan, with northerly wind gusts of 50 to 70 km/h reported throughout Monday morning. Even so, the 2,100-hectare Christie Mountain fire, which led to evacuation orders and alerts in the area last month, is still considered held.
A full list of active wildfires is available online.
