Hundreds of British Columbians were able to return home as some wildfire-related evacuation orders were lifted Tuesday, but B.C. fire officials warn that rain will soon be replaced by more heat going into midweek.
The B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) says rain and cooler temperatures the past week have made it easier to quell fires, though firefighters remain wary of wind and thunderstorms.
“While cooler weather and rain has given us an advantage in many parts of the province, we’re urging people to stay prepared,” B.C. Forests Minister Bruce Ralston said at a news conference Tuesday.
“Hot weather will return this summer.”
More showers and cooler weather were in the forecast for some parts of the province throughout Monday, giving relief from recent hotter and drier conditions that drove up fire intensity across B.C.
But a hot, dry spell is expected to return later this week. Cliff Chapman, the director of provincial operations with the B.C. Wildfire Service told reporters he expects the province’s south to see little to no rain for up to two weeks.
Approximately 1,350 people remain under an evacuation order, primarily in the Kootenays, according to the province. About 2,800 more are under evacuation alert.
At Tuesday’s news conference, Emergency Preparedness and Climate Readiness Minister Bowinn Ma urged British Columbians to stay on alert.
“Despite cooler weather I want to encourage everyone to continue being vigilant and prepared,” Ma said. “The wildfire situation can change quickly, and we may see more fires as temperatures warm up again in the coming days.”
By 5 p.m. PT Tuesday, the BCWS listed just over 340 active wildfires, with more than 50 declared out in the past 24 hours. Over 1,500 personnel are on the ground fighting fires, the service says.
Evacuation orders, alerts near Slocan Lake downgraded
More than 650 properties and close to 200 parcel identifiers have been evacuated as of Tuesday afternoon due to wildfires near Slocan Lake, according to the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK).
The entire Village of Slocan, home to around 380 people, remain under evacuation order as several out-of-control wildfires burn nearby. Two of those, the Aylwin Creek and and Komonko Creek wildfires, are regarded as wildfires of note — meaning they are highly visible or pose a potential threat to public safety.
But the district downgraded the evacuation order for 185 properties in the Village of Silverton, a community around 20 kilometres north of Slocan, to an alert Tuesday afternoon. This change also includes 17 properties in nearby Electoral Area H.
Prior to the update, Silverton Mayor Tanya Gordon said the weather conditions had made her optimistic about the fire situation. Her community was evacuated last week.
“We got a little bit of rain overnight, so it’s much cooler here and the ground is damp,” Gordon told CBC’s Daybreak South. “I’m really hoping the rain hit Silverton.”
The RDCK has also rescinded an evacuation order and an alert for hundreds of properties north of Silverton to Rosebery. It includes the alert for 421 properties in the Village of New Denver, which is around five kilometres from Silverton.
Ralston said the response to the Slocan Lake wildfires includes heavy equipment, aircraft, and more than 100 municipal firefighters.
As of Tuesday morning, Highway 6 along Slocan Lake remains closed in both directions for a nearly 40-kilometre stretch, from around 11 kilometres south of Slocan to New Denver, according to DriveBC.
Further north, Highway 16 remains closed east of the Mount Robson Visitor Centre due to wildfire activity around Jasper, Alta., the traffic service said.
Four other wildfires of note continue to burn in B.C.
Two in southeastern B.C., the Dogtooth Forest Service Road fire near Golden and the Argenta Creek fire north of Kaslo, are burning across about 54 square kilometres and 147 square kilometres, respectively.
The Shetland Creek wildfire, about 70 kilometres west of Kamloops, has grown to nearly 250 square kilometres. In the Cariboo Fire Centre, the Antler Creek wildfire is nearly 143 square kilometres.
Warm, dry weather to return
Environment Canada meteorologist Ken Dosanjh told CBC’s Daybreak North the cooler and wetter weather that has closed out the month is a rare “blip in the road.”
He said showers and cooler weather are forecast in the Prince George area through Wednesday. But he said much of B.C. will see temperatures return to up to 5 C above normal by the end of the week.
“Today and [Wednesday] has an unsettled flavour to it,” Dosanjh said. “Thursday onwards … a ridge of high pressure will build over the province, which will return our summer drying of the landscape.”
According to Natural Resources Canada, extremely hot temperatures and long periods of drought and dry weather are expected to occur more frequently with climate change.
Human-caused changes to Earth’s climate have also been found to increase lightning activity — a major cause of wildfires. In one study, researchers estimate that in the U.S., each degree that average air temperature rises will increase the number of lightning strikes by about 12 per cent.
The BCWS estimates 90 per cent of currently active wildfires have been started by lightning.
Campfire ban lifting in north
Effective noon Thursday, the BCWS is rescinding the campfire ban in the northern half of the province. Ralston said cooler and wetter weather in the region has reduced wildfire risk, but that may change as hotter weather returns.
In the Prince George and Northwest Fire Centres, residents will once again be able to burn fires less than half a metre tall and half a metre wide, provided there are fuel breaks around the fire, a way to put the fire out is on hand, and the fire isn’t left unattended.
Fireworks, sky lanterns and burn barrels are still banned, as are larger fires.
This year’s response
According to Ralston, more than 1,500 wildfire fighters have been deployed across the province, joined by municipal firefighters.
He said firefighters from Australia, New Zealand and Alaska have joined the B.C. response, and Ontario and Yukon-based services have also sent support. Other jurisdictions, including Alberta, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec and the United States, have provided the BCWS with firefighting equipment.
Ralston said this year, the government has tried to get more contracts for firefighting aircraft earlier in the season. About 340 air tanker missions — in which airplanes drop water or fire retardant on fires — have been flown this year.
That’s more than half the average number of missions the BCWS deploys annually.
Ma said the BCWS will continue to support Albertan responders fighting the wildfire complex that destroyed about 30 per cent of the townsite in the resort municipality of Jasper, Alta., last week. Already, she said, the service has sent firefighters and structure protection equipment.
“Wildfires are unfortunately not new to us, but neither is helping out people in need,” she said.