‘Welcome reprieve’: B.C. wildfire crews hopeful cooler, rainy weather will continue to help

Rain and cooler temperatures continue to support wildfire crews who are battling flames in parts of B.C.

As of Friday afternoon, there were just over 400 active wildfires in the province.

BC Wildfire Service fire information officer Erika Berg tells CityNews crews are seeing some decreased fire weather indices, which she says are “typically our fuel conditions that influence how the overall fire risk is.”

“It’s some welcome reprieve after about a two-week blast of activity,” she said, adding the weather has been able to reduce fire behaviour on some of the incidents.

“It’s a welcome change.”

The forecast does still include the possibility of thunderstorms, which means risks still remain. However, Berg says the fire service isn’t anticipating any “bursts of dry lightning at this time.”

“So most of this activity will be accompanied by some amount of rainfall, which is great at limiting that risk of lightning igniting new wildfires. However, alongside that conductive activity, there’s also some gusty winds that could be associated with that system ahead of it as well as in the wake of it,” she explained.

Wind, she says, could further fan flames on existing fires, potentially pushing them to grow.

“We’re continuing to monitor and respond most effectively with the personnel that we have, on both BC Wildfire Service, contract personnel, as well as folks from out of province,” Berg added.

Of the 403 wildfires burning Friday afternoon, over half were listed as out of control. The majority of the out-of-control fires are located in B.C.’s southeast.

Five fires are considered wildfires of note.

“The Southeast Fire Centre is our centre that has seen quite an increase in activity in the past couple of weeks. That continues to be an area where we are heavily resourced due to the amount of fire on the landscape within that region,” Berg said.

Many of the blazes have impacted communities across B.C. However, Berg says there have been “a number of downgrades” to evacuations in recent days.

“That being said, we are near the end of July, we still have a month ahead of us and then another likely month until we get to a bit of a fall-like pattern. But with ongoing drought conditions in many areas of the province, fuels may remain susceptible to ignition,” said Berg.

She notes the service is under much less strain right now compared to the same time last year, pointing out the 2023 season was the worst on record in B.C. by the numbers.

However, Berg acknowledges that’s little comfort to British Columbians who are currently displaced from their homes or who have lost property to flames.

“It’s been two weeks of really heightened fire activity but it’s nothing extraneous from what the BC Wildfire Service and our partners are trained and familiar with dealing with,” Berg explained.

“We’d just like to remind folks, residents of British Columbia as well as those visiting B.C. this summer and into the early fall, to be aware of the current wildfire situation. Wildfires are inherent to the province but we also like to ensure folks who want to visit B.C. can do so in a safe and enjoyable way.”

People are also being reminded to keep a go-bag ready and to adhere to campfire bans.