'We are seeing fires ignite and grow quite quickly': More than 250 wildfires burning in B.C.
The dry, hot weather is not on the side of crews battling more than 250 wildfires across B.C.
“We are seeing fires ignite and grow quite quickly,” said Karley Desrosiers, fire information officers with the BC Wildfire Service.
On Saturday, there were 38 wildfires of note – a designation meaning they’re either highly visible, pose a threat to property, or both – in the province. By Sunday, that list had grown by two.
One of the recent additions – the Garrison Lake fire in the Kamloops Fire Centre – was first spotted Friday, prompting an evacuation alert for 141 properties in the area. By Sunday, it was burning 435 hectares and classified as out of control.
The other new wildfire of note is the Cultus Creek fire, which was first noticed back on July 2, but on Saturday grew significantly, prompting an evacuation order. That order was reduced to an alert on Sunday.
“These hot, dry conditions are expected to persist and no kind of relief in sight in terms of the forecast,” said Desrosiers.
There is also an evacuation order in effect for 126 properties near the Mount Baldy resort because of the growth of the Cultus Creek fire, she said.
“It’s basically just the factors on site that are causing the growth,” Desrosiers said. “At the moment, the factors are still the heat; the wind.”
The largest fire burning in the province is the Sparks Lake fire, which is more than 56,000 hectares and still burning out of control.
“We are seeing growth and an evacuation order remains in effect for 296 properties,” said Desrosiers about that blaze.
One of the biggest challenges facing crews continues to be the lack of rain. Desrosiers told CTV News Vancouver that issue can be traced back to fall 2020.
“Certain areas of the Okanagan received 20 per cent of the precipitation that they would normally expect through the spring and through the winter,” she said.
Then, when the recording-setting heat wave hit, the province saw the amount of drying it would normally see in a month or six weeks over the course of just seven days, Desrosiers said.
The Canadian Armed Forces, other provinces and other countries are sending help to B.C. Quebec has sent about 180 firefighters to date, and Mexico sent 100 Saturday.
“We’re organizing, we’re working closely with British Columbia wildfire services to figure the best way to support them,” said Maj. Adam Petrin, commander of the Forces’ Task Force British Columbia.
“What we anticipate doing in the next few days is sending soldiers out to specific areas where they are required.”
He and his soldiers are based in Vernon. Petrin told CTV News there are approximately 150 of them already there and about 100 more on the way on Monday.
“Which would bring us to a total of approximately 250 soldiers in the operations area,” he said.
The biggest challenge they are facing right now, he explained, is identifying the areas where the BC Wildfire Service needs their help the most.
“Our soldiers will free those firefighters up to attack the fire right at the fire itself and our soldiers will support,” said Petrin. “Everything from mop up operations, dealing with hot spots that may occur, those types of tasks.”
The request for assistance with the Canadian Armed Forces is in place until Aug. 30, said Petrin, but he added they are flexible and can stay longer if asked and agreed to by the federal government.
“We are expecting this is going to be a long season and that’s why getting that out-of-country and out-of-province support is so helpful,” said Desrosiers.
One bit of good news is the number of new fires starting has dropped from about 45 daily to 10.
“We’re over 1,200 fires to date, which is over double the 10-year average for this time of year,” said Desrosiers. “And compared to last year, we’re almost double the fires we had for the whole year.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.