By Canadian Press

Wildfires tick up with lightning in forecast for B.C.’s southern Interior

Aug 9, 2024 | 1:10 PM

The number of active wildfires in British Columbia is increasing after holding below 350 for days as officials warn of lightning in the forecast.

There are just under 360 active blazes in B.C., including 25 sparked since Thursday as many areas in the southern part of the province bake under hot and dry conditions.

The BC Wildfire Service says there’s a significant chance of lightning in the southern Interior and crews were bracing for new starts and intensifying fire behaviour.

Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm watch for parts of the same area stretching from the Fraser Canyon to the Nicola and South Thompson regions.

Birkenhead Lake Park northeast of Pemberton has closed as a two-square-kilometre wildfire burns on the mountainside above lake.

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The wildfire service says 26 firefighters and two helicopters were responding to the blaze that has forced the closure of the provincial park.

Still, the wildfire service website shows the number of “wildfires of note” has dropped to six from nine earlier this week.

Campfires continue to be banned across B.C. except for the Prince George Fire Centre, as an earlier ban in Northwest Fire Centre will be reinstated on Saturday.

The thunderstorm watch came after Environment Canada expanded smoky skies bulletins to include Whistler and Pemberton as well as the Fraser Canyon.

Bulletin warnings of wildfire smoke also cover the Fernie area, Fort Nelson in the northeast, and parts of the southern Interior stretching from Manning Provincial Park to Kelowna, Vernon, and communities along the Arrow lakes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press