Number of active wildfires in B.C. surpasses 400
Posted July 23, 2024 2:48 pm.
Last Updated July 23, 2024 9:07 pm.
The number of active wildfires in B.C. surpassed 400 on Tuesday, as conditions around much of the province remain hot and dry.
As of 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, the BC Wildfire Service said there were 104 fire starts in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of active wildfires to 409.
The service says Monday brought winds and “exceptional lightning” to parts of B.C., “with over 38,000 strikes in total.” Most of these strikes were in the northeast of B.C.
“We are focusing our response on priority fires, which are interface fires that affect communities and people,” the BC Wildfire Service said in its Provincial Situation Report Tuesday.
“As more resources become available we will expand our response.”
Of the 409 active wildfires, more than 250 were classified as “out of control.”
The majority of fires have been caused by lightning, while six per cent were determined to be started by humans. The cause of 43 fires was still listed as “undetermined” as of Tuesday at 2 p.m.
Federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan says Canada is working with allies to bring in roughly 400 firefighters to help battle blazes in western provinces. These resources will be coming from Mexico and South Africa, he notes, adding, “their expertise and commitment are crucial in these challenging times.”
Sajjan says he has also been in contact with his counterparts in B.C. and Alberta to see how best the federal government can help thousands of evacuees.
Crews from Australia and New Zealand have also been brought in to help battle B.C.’s wildfires.
The personnel is being brought in through agreements with the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center, described by the BC Wildfire Service as a “not-for-profit corporation owned and operated by the federal, provincial and territorial agencies responsible for wildland fire management throughout Canada.”
“The relationship between the B.C. Wildfire Service and Australasia is longstanding, extending more than 15 years of mutual aid, support and knowledge transfer. The first instances of support started during the 2007 wildfire season in Australia, when B.C. assisted by sending more than 60 personnel to support fire suppression efforts. Since then, our trust and connection to international partners has only grown, with numerous engagements through CIFFC and directly to British Columbia,” the service said on July 22.
