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Over 250 fires are burning across the province, and over a hundred properties have been ordered to evacuate, with more on evacuation alert, as hot and dry weather persists and dry lightning is expected to continue.
Of these fires, 83 have started in the last 24 hours.
Cliff Chapman with the B.C. Wildfire Service said Thursday the province appeared to be “on the precipice of a very challenging 72 hours” with hot and dry weather, dry lightning and strong winds forecast.
The Shetland Creek fire in the southern Interior has expanded to 124 square kilometres from about 50 square kilometres on Thursday.
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Originally located about 7.5 kilometres north of the community of Spences Bridge, it is considered a “wildfire of note,” meaning it is highly visible or poses a potential threat to public safety.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District has expanded an evacuation order in the area to cover about 85 properties in the Venables Valley area, while the Cook’s Ferry Indian Band has issued orders for several reserves.
Residents of another 170 properties are subject to an evacuation alert, with the district telling them to be ready to leave on short notice.
Heat, smoky sky warnings
On Friday, the province issued a smoky sky bulletin for parts of the Interior and north, warning that several communities were likely to be affected by wildfire smoke in the next 48 hours.
The communities covered by the bulletin include Fort St. John, where air quality was measured at 10+ on Friday afternoon.
Other regions experiencing or expecting smoky skies include Kamloops and the South Thompson, parts of the Kootenays including Creston, Cranbrook and Kimberly, Fort Nelson, the South Peace including Dawson Creek, the Arrow Lakes region and the 100 Mile House area.
Heat warnings remain in place for much of the province’s Interior and north, with temperatures above 30 C, reaching up to 40 C in some areas.
Ken Dosanjh, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, says high temperatures are expected to continue until early next week.
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He says thunderstorms and dry lightning that have occurred in the southern half of the province over the past few days are expected to continue throughout Friday.
“Once you do get lightning strikes that occur, there’s kind of a longer time scale where new fires will pop up,” he said.
Dosanjh says the northern half of the province should receive some precipitation by next week, while the southern half remains dry.
The B.C. Wildfire Service is asking anyone who sees a wildfire to report it using the Wildfire App or by calling 1-800-663-5555 (toll-free) or *5555 on a cellphone.
Source: cbc
