In photos: Wildfires break out across B.C. in a difficult weekend
CBC News | Posted: July 22, 2024 10:44 PM | Last Updated: July 22
Hundreds told to leave their homes as more than 300 fires burn across province
Image | CANADA-WILDFIRES/
Caption: Flames and smoke from the Shetland Creek Wildfire rise from the hills above Highway 1, where people are on evacuation alert in the province's southern Interior outside Ashcroft, British Columbia, on July 20, 2024. (Jesse Winter/Reuters)
It was a busy weekend for B.C. Wildfire crews as thousands of lightning strikes sparked dozens of new fires across the province.
More than 20,000 lightning strikes were recorded Sunday, coupled with high winds and hot weather, creating a perfect storm for new starts given the ongoing dry conditions in the province's Interior and north.
Additionally, existing fires continued to grow, forcing hundreds to leave their homes and putting hundreds more on standby should the situation devolve.
Here are images of what those wildfires — and the efforts to stop them — looked like over the past few days.
Image | SHETLAND CREEK WILDFIRE
Caption: The Shetland Creek wildfire in B.C.'s Venables Valley is pictured on July 20, 2024. (Tom Popyk/CBC)
Image | Smoke Wells
Caption: Light and smoke from the Antler Creek wildfire can be seen in the distance from Wells, a community consisting primarily of artists and some mine workers in the B.C. Cariboo. (Jillian Merrick)
Image | Barkerville historic town
Caption: District of Wells Mayor Ed Coleman said the fire is about five kilometres from the historic town of Barkerville. St. Saviour's Anglican Church in Barkerville as wildfire smoke cast a pall over the town. (B.C. Wildfire Service)
Image | Williams Lake fire July 21
Caption: A water bomber flies over Mackenzie Avenue in Williams Lake, B.C., as a wildfire burns in the city Sunday. (Spencer Stratton)
Image | Ashcroft
Caption: A smoky sky can be seen near Ashcroft, where about 2,000 people are on evacuation alert. (Tom Popyk/CBC)
Image | SHETLAND CREEK WILDFIRE
Caption: The Shetland Creek wildfire in B.C.'s Venables Valley is pictured on July 20, 2024. (Tom Popyk/CBC)
Image | CANADA-WILDFIRES
Caption: Smoke from the Shetland Creek Wildfire rises from the hills above Highway 1, where people are on evacuation alert in the province's southern Interior outside Ashcroft, British Columbia, on July 20, 2024. (Jesse Winter/Reuters)
Image | Williams Lake wildfire
Caption: A wildfire burns near train tracks in Williams Lake, B.C., on July 21, 2024. (Morgan Dodson)
Image | Barkerville church
Caption: Water pools in front of one of the historic wooden buildings in Barkerville, B.C., as runoff from sprinklers set up to protect the Gold Rush-era community pools in the street. (Barkerville Historic Town)
Image | Barkerville sprinkler
Caption: A sprinkler system has been installed in Barkerville Historic Town to protect the century-old Gold Rush-era community from a nearby wildfire. (Barkerville Historic Town)
Image | Bus storage Williams Lake
Caption: A storage yard in Williams Lake, B.C., is pictured on July 21 as a wildfire burns nearby the central Interior city. (Spencer Stratton)
Image | Williams Lake fire
Caption: Fire suppressant is released from an aircraft in Williams Lake, B.C. (Spencer Stratton)