Warm, dry weather fuels hundreds of B.C. fires
WARM, DRY SPRING: British Columbia is experiencing more fires than usual this early in the year
By this time last year, only eight square kilometres of B.C. had been consumed by wildfire.
This year, more than 400 square kilometres have burned as early warm, dry weather leaves the province vulnerable to any ignition source.
Two-thirds of the 78 wildfires burning across the province on Sunday were in the Prince George Fire Centre’s region, including two major blazes in the Peace region.
So far, 224 wildfires have been detected in B.C. in 2016, compared to a 10-year average of 146 fires burning about 14 square kilometres at this point in the season.
“It’s really fair to say we’ve seen warmer and drier conditions than what would be considered average for this time of year,” fire information officer Ryan Turcot told reporters.
“With that being said, looking ahead into the long term, we’re not entirely sure yet how the rest of the fire season is going to play out. A better indicator of what’s to come is going to be the precipitation that we see in the late spring — late May to early June.”
Fighting these early-season fires has required the full engagement of B.C. Wildfire Service crews and other personnel across the province. Contractors have also been brought in to assist, Turcot said.
Firefighters in the Peace region were given a bit of breathing room Sunday after snow and rain fell on two aggressive blazes overnight.
The Siphon Creek fire near the Doig River First Nations community spanned 414 square kilometres on both sides of the Alberta border by Sunday morning, following a day of gusting wind that pushed the fire to the north and northeast over terrain and tree types that allowed for rapid growth. An estimated 296 square kilometres of the fire was measured on the B.C. side.
The precipitation and cooler temperatures Sunday offered crews a chance to work toward partial containment, said fire information officer Noelle Kekula.
“The crews are working really hard to make some gains on the fire today,” Kekula said Sunday. “That being said, the weather forecast is for the high pressure to build again and for the temperatures to get warm, and then with that we expect wind again.”
No structures have been reported lost in the blaze, which broke out April 18 about 60 kilometres northeast of Fort St. John. Residents of 11 homes previously under evacuation order were told they could return home Sunday, although they remain on evacuation alert along with the residents of another 88 homes.
An evacuation alert also remains in effect for some parts of Clear Hill County, Alta.
A total of 81 firefighters, nine helicopters and 15 pieces of heavy equipment from B.C. Wildfire Service are involved in fighting the flames. An incident management team from Ontario has flown in to take over supervision of the firefighting efforts on the Alberta side of the border, where that province’s crews have recently joined the battle against the growing blaze.
Meanwhile, another raging wildfire northwest of Fort St. John also spread slightly overnight. The B.C. Wildfire Service says the Beatton Airport Road fire is now 45 kilometres from the city of Fort. St. John.
Fire officials said the blaze had significant growth to the north late Friday, and by Sunday morning it was estimated at 150 square kilometres in size.
Residents of 1,726 homes have been placed on evacuation alert because of the Beatton Airport Road fire, while an evacuation order for another 216 homes was downgraded to an alert on Sunday morning.