B.C. Wildfire Service warns of lightning-induced wildfires amid dry weather across province

British Columbia wildfire officials are warning of an uptick in lightning-caused wildfires later this week as the province heads into the hottest, driest stretch of the summer.

Cliff Chapman, operations director for the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS), says the lightning that's expected to be "widespread" across the province is more likely to hit higher, mountainous terrain, but strikes are also possible in or around communities.

Chapman told a news conference it's still early in the summer and wildfires have already scorched nearly 10,500 square kilometres of land in the province.

That represents the third-highest burned area ever recorded in B.C., and Chapman says he believes it's possible 2023 may surpass the previous record.

Small amounts of rain not enough: BCWS

Matt MacDonald, the BCWS's lead forecaster, says there's no relief in sight from persistent drought conditions, and small amounts of rain won't be enough to reduce the stress in B.C.'s forests.

MacDonald told the briefing that the role of climate change cannot be ignored in assessing heat waves, drought and wildfire conditions in the province.

"We're seeing exactly what climate change experts have been alerting us to, which is a higher frequency of extreme weather events," he said, noting seven of the province's 10 busiest wildfire seasons on record have occurred in the last decade.

Both officials emphasized the importance of detecting fires quickly after they start. Chapman thanked members of the public for making reports that helped crews douse or hold three dozen out of more than 40 new blazes sparked over the Canada Day long weekend, the majority of which were caused by lightning, he said. 

Campfire bans across southern Interior, southwest

Additional campfire bans are on the way in response to the increasing risk.

The BCWS says as of noon on Friday, campfires will no longer be permitted in the Kamloops Fire Centre, an area that covers a large part of the southern Interior.

The expanded restrictions also include all areas of the Coastal Fire Centre, except Haida Gwaii.

Campfires have been banned since last month across the Prince George Fire Centre in the province's northeast, and in the driest sections of the Northwest and Coastal fire centres, including Vancouver Island.

The wildfire service says campfires no larger than half-a-metre by half-a-metre in size will still be allowed in the Cariboo Fire Centre in B.C.'s Interior, and the Southeast Fire Centre, where wildfire danger is primarily ranked as moderate.

More than 100 active blazes are burning across B.C., most of them in the northeast corner, including the 5,715-square-kilometre Donnie Creek wildfire south of Fort Nelson, the largest ever recorded in the province.