'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
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.