Thunderstorms in some regions may spark new wildfires over long weekend, province warns

The British Columbia government has warned that a return to more seasonal spring conditions is raising the risk of lightning-caused wildfires heading into the long weekend, after a prolonged hot and dry spell across much of the province.

The forecast for Fort St. John, in wildfire-embattled northeastern B.C., shows a risk of thunderstorms starting Friday night and stretching into Saturday.

In the southern Interior, Environment Canada says there's a risk of a thunderstorm in Kamloops and Kelowna on Saturday, with a chance of showers through Monday.

The province has said a transition to cooler, wetter weather is expected on Sunday.

On Friday afternoon, an evacuation order for New Remo prompted by flooding risks was lifted, save for five properties on Royal and Kilby Roads, however an evacuation alert remains in effect, the regional District of Kitimat-Stikine said shortly after 3 p.m.

Smoke is expected to continue to cause poor air quality and reduced visibility throughout eastern B.C. along the boundary with Alberta and some southern regions over the next two days, the federal agency says.

Donnie Creek and Klua Lakes wildfires prompts new evacuation orders

Wildfire activity this season has so far been concentrated in northeastern B.C., where the Peace River Regional District issued an evacuation order Friday for properties in a rural area on the east side of Highway 97 north of Fort St. John.

The district says the Donnie Creek wildfire is threatening the area, which is used primarily by industry. The blaze that had been mapped as 500 square kilometres in size on Thursday has since been updated to span nearly 1,200 square kilometres.

The district lifted an evacuation order for 850 properties in rural areas north of Fort St. John on Thursday night, but residents remain on alert to leave again on short notice.

An evacuation order remains in effect for the settlements of Buick Creek, Murdale and Mile 70 north of the city, where the 215-square-kilometre Stoddart Creek wildfire is burning about 25 kilometres away.

Klua Lakes Fire forces more residents to evacuate

North of Peace River Regional District in the Klua Lakes area, wildfires prompted a new evacuation order and expanded evacuation alerts near the community of Prophet River on Friday afternoon.

The Northern Rockies Regional Municipality ordered residents within about twenty kilometres of the blaze, which straddles the municipality's border with PRRD, to evacuate around 1:30 p.m. PT.

An existing evacuation alert was expanded to all properties within about 40 kilometres of the blaze.

On Friday around noon, Parks Canada said it is responding to a wildfire burning around 21 hectares, or 0.2 square kilometres, in the Mitchell Ridge area of southern Kootenay National Park.

The B.C. Wildfire service website lists just over 70 active wildfires in B.C. on Friday.

A statement from the province on Friday urged people to be prepared for wildfire and heat this long weekend, and to have an emergency plan in place.

Since April 1, more than 200 wildfires have burned over 1,350 square kilometres, largely within the Prince George Fire Centre, which roughly covers the northeast quarter of the province. Of those fires, 85 per cent were human caused and preventable, the government said.

Fire bans across province

Large open burning was banned across the province on Thursday to prevent human-caused wildfires.

In addition, starting at noon Friday, all open fires, including campfires, will be prohibited throughout the Prince George Fire Centre. The area spans much of northeastern B.C., including Fort St. John, and is where all four out-of-control wildfires in the province are located.

The service says campfires elsewhere in the province have to be confined to 50 centimetres in height and diameter, with water kept on hand to douse flames if necessary.