Little relief in sight as record-setting B.C. wildfire season continues

British Columbia's 2023 wildfire season has already seen the largest blaze in provincial history, and an update from officials suggests the situation across B.C. is likely to get worse before it gets better.

The updated seasonal outlook presented by BC Wildfire Service director of wildfire operations Cliff Chapman and lead forecaster Matt MacDonald at a virtual news conference Wednesday shows hot, dry weather persisting through at least mid-August.

That doesn't bode well for a wildfire season that has already burned more than one million hectares so far this year, Chapman said.

"Crossing over the million-hectare threshold this early in the season is quite significant," he said. "It now ranks as the third-most hectares burned in any fire season in B.C. since we started to track. And, obviously, we're in July. We're in early July."

July and August are typically the peak wildfire season in B.C., as many parts of the province experience their hottest, driest weather during that period.

MacDonald said average temperatures in June were one to two degrees higher than normal for the provincial Interior and roughly seasonal on the coast.

Most parts of the province received significantly less precipitation than normal, extending the persistent drought in many regions.

These two factors – heat and lack of precipitation – mean wildfire fuel is increasingly available, and conditions are unlikely to improve as the summer progresses, according to MacDonald.

"Going forward, we don't see much relief in sight," he said. "We may see some showery patterns with, you know, five, 10, maybe 15 millimetres (of rain) here and there, but it's not going to be enough to alleviate those deep, persistent drought conditions."

PUBLIC ENCOURAGED TO REPORT WILDFIRES

In such an environment, early detection of wildfires is essential, the officials said, thanking the public for their efforts to report fires as soon as possible.

Chapman said 46 new wildfires started over the Canada Day long weekend, but crews achieved "good success" when responding to them.

"Thanks to the diligent reporting of the public, which is one of our primary sources for detecting new fires, we were able to get 35 of those 46 fires into 'being held' or 'out' states," he said.

To report a wildfire, people in B.C. should call 1-800-663-5555 or dial *5555 from a cellphone.

"Report those fires as soon as you see them, because that'll enable us to respond as quickly as possible," MacDonald said.

NEW CAMPFIRE BANS ON THE WAY

The pair also warned people to be extremely careful with any activity that could spark a wildfire, noting that restrictions on campfires and open burning are in place or coming into effect soon across the province.

In the Coastal Fire Centre, which includes the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, a campfire ban is scheduled to come into effect at noon on Friday. The same is true for the Kamloops Fire Centre in the Interior. 

Open burning larger than a campfire is currently banned everywhere except the Southeast Fire Centre, where Category 2 open burns – those not exceeding three metres wide and two metres high – remained allowed as of Wednesday, according to the wildfire service website. 

As of Wednesday morning, there had been 633 wildfires so far this year in B.C., and there were 100 actively burning in the province. The majority of active fires – 67 – were located in the Prince George Fire Centre, which covers northeastern B.C.

Among those blazes was the Donnie Creek Complex, which is B.C.'s largest-ever wildfire, having scorched more than 5,700 square kilometres since May. That fire was still classified as out of control as of Wednesday.