Unstable weather in forecast could fan the flames of B.C. wildfires

Close to 350 wildfires across British Columbia include seven wildfires of note, which have prompted evacuation orders and alerts across many places in the central Interior and southeast.

Northwest of Armstrong, the Hullcar Mountain fire has already scorched more than seven square kilometres since being discovered four days ago.

"We have had experiences where these fires can blow up very quickly, so we really want people to be prepared and stay vigilant. We have our eyes on the fire,” said Tracy Hughes from the emergency operations centre in the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District.

According to the BC Wildfire Service, of the active fires burning right now, 90 per cent are believed to have been caused by lightning.

With thunderstorms coming to areas in the southern part of the province, the agency expects more weather-related starts, and it’s urging people to be cautious so human-caused fires don’t add to the total.

"We just really encourage people to exercise their common sense, particularly while they're recreating in the back-country,” said fire information officer Sarah Budd.

“It's a really important time to stay aware of those local conditions."

Other wildfires of note include the Calcite Creek fire near Manning Park, which is burning on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border, and the Shetland Creek fire, which has been burning for nearly a month.

Some evacuation orders for that fire have been downgraded or rescinded, but given the forecast, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District is urging people to remain cautious.

"We do expect this weekend to be fairly challenging,” said TNRD’s Kevin Shrepnek. “A lot of unstable weather coming for many parts of the province, particularly looking at our region."

Wildfire crews and those in the danger zone will be watching the weather closely in the days ahead – hoping it doesn’t fan the flames and push them closer to communities and infrastructure.