Heat warning in effect for B.C. as firefighters battle wildfires in province
The number of wildfires in British Columbia climbed slightly Saturday to 245, as officials braced for potential lightning that could spark even more blazes.
An information officer with the BC Wildfire Service says there were 241 fires burning earlier in the day, but the number rose as lightning struck the Coastal fire centre.
Erika Berg notes the number of wildfires is still down from the 300 that were active last week.
There are heat warnings in effect across swaths of British Columbia at the moment, but temperatures are expected to cool over the weekend.
Berg says the cooler temperatures could bring even more lightning, so officials will be on the lookout.
Most of the blazes are in the Kamloops, Southeast, Prince George and Cariboo fire centres, said a news release from the service.
Environment Canada meteorologist Derek Lee says this weekend's heat warning doesn't mean British Columbians should expect a repeat of last month's record-breaking scorcher.
“This weekend is just above normal or above seasonal and warmer temperatures than what we would expect for a summer day for a lot of the regions in southern B.C. here,” he said.
“So, we did end up issuing heat warnings for a lot of the regions in southern B.C.”
Temperatures are forecast to cool down through the course of the weekend, he said.
The Village of Lytton, which shattered Canada's all-time heat record when the mercury nearly reached 50 C, was expected to reach 39 C Saturday. Its low was forecast to be 21 overnight, and Lee said it would be “still rather warm” at 33 C Sunday.
The record for Lytton on July 31 was 42.2 degrees C in 1971 and 41.1 C for Aug. 1, 1965.
Meantime, the wildfire service said there are 60 evacuation orders affecting 3,120 properties, an increase of 62, while there are 97 evacuation alerts.
More than 2,000 firefighting personnel -- including nearly 300 from out-of-province --are helping fight the blazes that have charred 4707.84 square kilometres so far, it said.
All of Vancouver Island, the south coast and stretches of the southern Interior are classified as drought level four out of five. Many municipalities and regions are implementing measures to conserve water through the rest of the summer.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 31, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harris and Trump make a furious final push before U.S. election day
A campaign that has careened through a felony trial, incumbent being pushed off the ticket and assassination attempts comes down to Election Day on Tuesday.
Elections BC says box of 861 votes uncounted, others votes unreported
Elections BC says it has discovered that a ballot box containing 861 votes wasn't counted in the recent provincial election, as well as other mistakes including 14 votes going unreported in a crucial riding narrowly won by the NDP.
Peel police officer suspended after video appeared to show him at protest while off duty
Peel police say four people were arrested and an officer was injured following several protests in Mississauga and Brampton Sunday afternoon, including one at a Hindu temple that turned violent.
Musk PAC tells Philadelphia judge the US$1M sweepstakes winners are not chosen by chance
A lawyer for Elon Musk 's political action committee told a judge in Philadelphia on Monday that so-called 'winners' of his US$1 million-a-day voter sweepstakes in swing states are not chosen by chance but are instead chosen to be paid 'spokespeople' for the group.
Surprise swing state? Iowa poll has Harris suddenly leading
Based on victories in the past two elections and polls leading up to Tuesday’s election, Donald Trump had seemed almost certain to win Iowa, but a new poll has Kamala Harris with a sudden three-point lead.
Pair of rare November tornadoes touch down in New Brunswick last week
A research team has confirmed a pair of tornadoes touched down in central New Brunswick last week.
3 arrested as protesters clash outside Hindu temple in Surrey, B.C.
Three people were arrested after duelling protests erupted into violence outside a Hindu temple in Surrey, B.C., over the weekend, according to the RCMP.
Daylight savings can negatively affect worker productivity, research says
New research from the University of Oregon finds the annual practice of ‘springing forward’ into daylight time affects productivity more than previously thought.
B.C. port employers to launch lockout at terminals as labour disruption begins
Employers at British Columbia ports say they are going ahead with locking out more than 700 foremen across the province after strike activities from union members began.