B.C. wildfires cost around $387M so far in 2024, official says

The number of British Columbians under wildfire evacuation orders decreased as of Tuesday, as the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) says the province has invested around $387 million into fire responses and preparedness this year. 

Bowinn Ma, minister of emergency management and climate readiness, said in a Tuesday afternoon update that there are around 55 people under evacuation orders and 2,200 people under alerts. In contrast, she said that over 5,000 people were under evacuation orders or alerts in B.C. at the peak of this year's fire season.

"Right now, in terms of wildfire evacuations, we are in a much better position than we were last week," she said while also acknowledging homes have been lost due to wildfires. 

In the same update, Cliff Chapman with the BCWS says the province has invested roughly $387 million into fire suppression, response and preparedness to date this year. He noted this is a 17 per cent decrease from the same timeframe in 2023. 

Bruce Ralston, minister of forests, said B.C. spent around $1 billion in total to fight wildfires last year, and that the province is permitted to spend what's required to protect communities, rather than facing a limit. 

"Fortunately, we haven't had to spend as much or at the same rate this year," he said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, hot and dry weather paired with 29 consecutive days of lightning has led to more than 420 active wildfires across B.C. Around 40 per cent of them are considered to be out of control by the BCWS.  

Although seasonable temperatures are forecast to return this week, officials and the wildfire service also say new lightning-caused fires are expected to persist.

Ralston said during the update that the province recorded nearly 7,500 lightning strikes over the last week. As a result, there have been 256 new fire starts in the last seven days, of which approximately 82 per cent are believed to be caused by lightning, according to the BCWS. 

Just under 90 per cent of all active blazes in the province had the same cause, the service added. 

But the service's firefighting effort has also been robust, Ralston said. He mentioned "night bucketing" — flying and putting out fires at night — as well as spotting fires at night as strategies with positive results. 

There are currently four wildfires of note in the province, meaning they are either highly visible or pose a threat to public safety and infrastructure, according to the BCWS. All of these blazes are burning in the province's southern Interior.

Campfires continue to be banned across B.C. except for the Prince George Fire Centre, which encompasses the province's northeast quarter, and the Cassiar zone of the Northwest Fire Centre.

Overall, there have been just under 1,430 wildfires recorded in B.C. since April 1, Chapman said Tuesday. He said this figure is lower than the roughly 1,700 blazes the province saw in the same time period last year, but it is still higher than the 10-year average of around 1,100 fires. 

The fires were also much bigger last year, Chapman said. 

Ultimately, Ma cautioned that there are still several weeks of the core wildfire season and there could be increased lightning, which could start fires or accelerate their growth. 

"We must remain vigilant," she said. "The risk throughout British Columbia remains."