Wildfire crews prepare for worsening weekend weather across southern B.C.
WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. — Wildfire conditions in British Columbia are expected to worsen over the weekend as officials predict winds to pick up, fanning dozens of flare-ups that have forced more than 16,000 people from their homes.
Kevin Skrepnek, chief information officer with the BC Wildfire Service, said Thursday the slight reprieve in weather over the past few days will end with the arrival of a cold front that is expected to bring “significant winds” across most of the southern part of the province.
“The big weather concern at the moment is the outlook for this weekend,” he said. “Winds have been a huge factor in terms of fire activity so far over the last few weeks, so that’s definitely a cause for concern.”
About 680 blazes have consumed 1,110-square-kilometres of grass, bush, forest and in some cases neighbourhoods since the fire season began in April, Skrepnek said. There were more than 180 wildfires burning across the province on Thursday afternoon, concentrated in the central and southern Interior.