Wildfire, drought concerns persist over B.C. Day long weekend

Firefighting crews are constructing a fire guard Sunday to try to prevent any further movement of a blaze in the Shuswap region that has forced the evacuation of a lakefront community.

The East Adams Lake fire is estimated at 4,823 hectares, but the BC Wildfire Service says it has been challenging to properly map its perimeter and chart the fire's growth due to extremely smoky conditions.

Jim Cooperman lives outside of the evacuation zone, but just kilometers away from where the fire is burning out of control. He can see the flames from his porch and wears a face mask every time he goes outside.

"It’s like a thick fog, but rather than being from moisture in the air it's from particles of smoke,” he said, describing the air quality.

The BCWS and the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District are both warning that the weather forecast brings with it the risk of the fire becoming more "erratic"

Part of that risk includes the possibility of the fire spreading to and threatening the community of Lee Creek, where Cooperman lives.

"Shuswap Emergency Program staff and BCWS will continue to watch this situation closely and ensure that Alerts and Orders are up-to-date and reflective of the current fire risk," an online update from the district says.

There are 58 initial attack firefighters on the scene, being supported by 15 helicopters and 11 pieces of heavy equipment. Structure protection personnel are patrolling 24/7 to try to prevent or mitigate damage to property, an update on the BCWS website says.

The fire is one of 381 burning in the province as of Sunday afternoon, as B.C.'s record-breaking season continues unabated due to persistent heat and drought.

According to BCWS, 634 properties are currently evacuated across the province, and another 2,587 properties are on alert, meaning they could be told to leave at any moment.

Around 4,000 people are involved in the firefighting effort, including crews from the United States, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ontario, and the Canadian Armed Forces.

Due to the ongoing drought, Metro Vancouver moved to Stage 2 water restrictions last Friday, which means lawn watering is completely prohibited.

“The reservoirs for Metro Vancouver are within normal range, for a normal year, but because this isn’t a normal year with the level of drought, it actually means we have less water available than we had last year at this time,” Andrea Becker, the acting director of water and utilities management with the City of Vancouver said.

“If we continue at the same level of consumption that we have been since May, we’re at a risk to drop below the acceptable levels of the reservoirs before the rain returns.”

While Metro Vancouver is at a level 4 drought, conditions in Kamloops are at a Level 5 – the most serious on the scale.

"It means adverse impacts on both communities and ecosystems are almost certain," according to the province.

“We hit drought level five for the first time in history that I know of,” said the acting deputy mayor of Kamloops, Bill Sarai.

In response, trails in the city have been closed to prevent any potential for human-caused wildfires. 

“It’s not a ‘want to’, it’s a ‘need to’,” Sarai said, describing the closures.

Environment and Climate Change Canada says hotter-than-normal conditions are expected to continue

nationwide this summer.

"Climate change is affecting the frequency, duration, and intensity of extreme weather in Canada," the agency said in a social media post.

"This could mean continued wildfires and poor air quality, heat waves, drought and more."