Lightning storms roll through northeast B.C., raising more wildfire concerns
![Lightning This photo, shared on Twitter by the BC Wildfire Service on May 18, 2023, shows lightning during a storm.](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2023/5/18/lightning-1-6405554-1684464890352.jpg)
Wildfire crews in northeastern British Columbia are keeping an anxious lookout after a series of weekend lightning storms rolled through the parched region.
The BC Wildfire Service is reporting 102 active wildfires in the province, most of them in the Prince George fire centre where the vast Donnie Creek blaze has now charred more than 5,745 square kilometres of boreal forest since it was sparked by lightning on May 12.
The service confirms weekend storms peppered the region with about 4,000 lightning strikes on Sunday and as many as 10,000 since last Friday.
Recent rain has dialed back the fire danger for parts of northeastern B.C., including around Fort Nelson and the Donnie Creek blaze, where the wildfire service ranked the risk at low to moderate on Monday, but Environment Canada shows above average temperatures and more lightning are forecast for the first half of the week.
A B.C. government statement on Friday urged water conservation and warned that much of the province will experience drought conditions this summer.
Fort Nelson and the east Peace region are among the areas ranked by the province at Drought Level 4, the second highest rating on the six-level scale, meaning very dry conditions are likely to harm ecosystems or affect things such as community safety or employment.
The wildfire service says much of north-central and northwestern B.C., as well as Vancouver Island, the central coast and parts of Haida Gwaii are ranked at a high to extreme risk of fire.
The service says campfires remain banned on Vancouver Island, most Gulf Islands and in the Nadina fire zone in central B.C., which includes Tweedsmuir Park and a stretch of Highway 16 from Burns Lake almost to Smithers.
It says small campfires are still allowed in the Cariboo, Coastal and Southeast fire centres where wet weather earlier this month has dipped the wildfire danger rating to no higher than moderate.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6936437.1718999562!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Old Montreal kidnapping: search for 4th victim continues as provincial police take over investigation
The investigation into a quadruple kidnapping in Old Montreal has been transferred to Quebec provincial police.
FDA warns company against selling products containing human fecal matter to those in U.S. and Canada. Here's what Health Canada says about selling these products
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning letter to a company appearing to sell products containing human fecal matter without approval from the agency.
A new study shows that 1 year of this kind of exercise yields results 4 years later
Exercise is good, but resistance training with heavy weight is great! That's especially true if you are looking to maintain strength in older age, a new study shows.
'We're enraged': Tori Dunn’s father shares her heartbreaking final moments
Hundreds of mourners gathered at a vigil in Surrey Bend Regional Park Saturday evening to honour Tori Dunn, who was killed in the city’s Port Kells neighbourhood last weekend.
Conservative surge combined with ballot confusion could crack a Liberal stronghold in Toronto byelection
Growing political discontent in a Liberal stronghold could lead to a Conservative breakthrough in an Ontario byelection that may put Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s leadership to the test. On Monday, voters in the riding of Toronto-St. Paul's will head to the polls to elect a new member of Parliament.
Former first lady Melania Trump stays out of the public eye as Donald Trump runs for president
After Melania Trump missed key events in her husband's presidential bid earlier this year — from the kickoff of the 2024 election in Iowa to Donald Trump's Super Tuesday victory party — reporters asked the former first lady whether she planned to hit the campaign trail. Her response: "Stay tuned."
OPINION DIY investing vs. hiring a professional: Which is right for you?
Trends suggests a growing approval of DIY investing in Canada, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's right for you. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines what would-be investors need to know.
Why Mount Rainier is the U.S. volcano keeping scientists up at night
The snowcapped peak of Mount Rainier, which towers 4.3 kilometres (2.7 miles) above sea level in Washington state, has not produced a significant volcanic eruption in the past 1,000 years. Yet, more than Hawaii’s bubbling lava fields or Yellowstone’s sprawling supervolcano, it’s Mount Rainier that has many U.S. volcanologists worried.
1 person found dead and 2 still missing after floods, rockslide hit a Swiss Alpine village
Rescuers in Switzerland have found the body of one of three people a day after they were swept away in a rockslide that hit their Alpine village following massive thunderstorms and rainfall, authorities said Sunday. The other two are still missing.