'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
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
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.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.