Dry conditions prompt wildfire, drought concerns in B.C.
There is little relief for British Columbia's wildfire fight in the immediate forecast.
In the Coastal Fire Centre, the Newcastle Creek fire has grown to 208 hectares Friday and remains out of control.
It is more than five kilometres away from the Village of Sayward, which has not ordered any evacuations at this time.
But Jamie Pond didn’t want to take any chances. She and her husband took their boat to Echo Bay, where they have a home for work.
“For us, it's really concerning because we could lose everything we have there,” Pond told CTV News. “If there's a shift in the direction of winds, you know, five kilometres is not very far and it could shoot over that little mountain range so easily.”
There are no concerns of wind gusts at the moment, just more dry weather.
“We see forest fuels that are drying out until we have a significant amount of rainfall, which as we know is not in the current forecast,” said Kimberly Kelly, a spokesperson for the Coastal Fire Centre.
Armel Castellan, warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said there is a small chance of rain for much of the South Coast, adding what the region needs is a "Juneuary."
This weather phenomenon is when June sees weather systems similar to those in January.
“These are the systems that are kind of nebulous; they don't move very quickly, like the winter storms that have a lot of power. These ones stick around and they bring some moisture and they're kind of what we need in order to really put to bed all of the dryness that we've been accumulating for months -- if not several seasons,” Castellan said.
The spring snowmelt is also almost gone, he said, which creates an even drier landscape.
“So it really does spell out pretty droughty looking bleak future for the coming weeks and months,” he said. “We're well into the start of a drought, when typically we haven't seen those numbers this early in the season – so, it is saying a lot.”
According to B.C.’s drought information portal, much of the province is seeing drought levels one and two, meaning adverse drought impacts are rare or unlikely.
The eastern Peace region is seeing possible negative impacts of drought.
Typically during this time of year, B.C. should be sitting at level zero, Castellan said.
Over to northeastern B.C. and the Cariboo region, there will be some storms and gusty winds where out-of-control wildfires continue to rage on.
“Very challenging conditions for fires that are already existing. And of course, possible lightning overnight Saturday into Sunday, which could start new fires on a landscape that is pretty parched and dry,” he said.
BC Wildfire Service encourages anyone who sees an out-of-control wildfire or campfire to call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on a cellphone.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.