Since April 1, 2023, 1,788 wildfires have burned about 1.59 million hectares of land in B.C. There are currently 376 active fires burning across the province.
Nearly all regions of the province are experiencing increased fire behaviour resulting from hot temperatures combined with high winds. Despite challenging conditions, crews were able to successfully implement planned ignitions to consolidate containment on significant wildfires over the weekend, including Lladnar Creek and Downton Lake.
There are currently about 4,000 personnel engaged in wildfire response across B.C. As some international resources demobilize, we continue to work with partner agencies and the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre to secure the required resources.
Weather
An upper ridge of high pressure air has caused temperatures to climb to well above seasonal averages across the majority of the province. Coupled with high winds out of the west, the current pattern is fuelling existing fires on the landscape.
Later in the week, a cold front moving in from the northwest will collide with the upper ridge. This will likely result in even stronger winds, coupled with dry lightning, which may lead to additional new fire starts.