B.C. wildfire season underway with fire near Ashcroft

While parts of the province are still fairly wet and rainy, wildfire season has already started in B.C., with 35 fires having burned across the province so far.

One fire near Lilooet and Ashcroft, at Skwish Creek, has already drawn people’s attention as the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) said early Wednesday morning it was around 20 hectares in size.

Kamloops Fire Centre fire information officer Karly Desrosiers told CityNews the wildfire was being held late Wednesday afternoon, and attributes favorable weather conditions as being a major help to crews trying to stop it from spreading.

“We can attribute that to the good overnight recovery,” she said.

“High humidity in the air and then the low temperatures are both good moderators of fire behavior. So, no additional growth beyond that 20 hectares, and the fire is classified as being held.”

Read more:

• Early-season wildfire in B.C.’s Interior, near Ashcroft

On Twitter, BCWS said this particular fire had caused evacuations for nearby Ts’kw’aylaxw First Nation’s Pavilion Reserve #1.

“Gather your grab-and-go bags and ensure your vehicle has fuel. If you leave before or during this alert, it’s called a voluntary evacuation,” the BCWS explained.

With this being the first major wildfire of the year for B.C., CityNews took a look at how this year compares to previous seasons.

Desrosiers says, in the area around Kamloops, there have been 14 fires so far in 2023.

“This time last year there had been 16 and the 10-year average is 16. So pretty on par for the course at this point,” she said.

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• B.C. prepares for spring floods, summer wildfires

• Wildfires light up parts of B.C. just days into spring

Desrosiers says drought conditions still exist in the area, as there wasn’t enough rain to make up for the dry conditions last fall.

She explains the wildfires currently burning at Skwish Creek are believed to be human-caused, and adds she’s like to see people me more cautious with their fire-related behaviour, especially as we head into the summer.

“Things are really dry out there and will continue to be in the coming weeks, so be especially cautious as always.”

With files from Charlie Carey

Editor’s note: The headline has been updated to show the fire is burning near the community of Ashcroft