A wildfire near Pemberton, B.C., about 140 kilometres north of Vancouver, had grown to seven square kilometres by Wednesday afternoon, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS).
More than 20 properties near the Birkenhead Lake wildfire are on evacuation alert, including the housing project Birkenhead Lake Estates.
The BCWS lists the fire as out of control — a designation that means it is spreading, or is expected to spread, past its current perimeter.
The wildfire was likely caused by lightning, according to the BCWS. It’s one of about 380 wildfires burning across the province, most of which were caused by lightning.
In a report Friday, the service said it’s expecting dry lightning strikes in some parts of the central and southern Interior, while cooler temperatures in some parts of southeast B.C. may dampen fire activity.
Meanwhile, the BCWS said northern B.C. continues to see higher-than-normal temperatures that will continue to heat and dry wildfire fuels over the weekend.
“We ask everyone to be mindful of activities that could spark a new wildfire, as fuels will be susceptible to new ignitions,” it said.
The service has banned campfires in most of the province, except the Prince George and northwest fire centres and Haida Gwaii.
Environment Canada has issued a series of severe thunderstorm bulletins for the Fraser Canyon, Nicola, South Okanagan, South Thompson and Boundary regions.
The weather office says the storms could produce heavy rain, and there’s a heightened risk of debris flows in areas scorched by recent wildfires.
Natural Resources Canada says it expects climate change to drive an increase in hot and dry weather, which makes wildfires more likely to start and increases fire behaviour.
Some researchers also expect human-caused climate change to increase lightning activity — one study links each degree of atmospheric warming to a 12 per cent increase in the annual number of lightning strikes.
BlueSky Canada, a weather tracking collaboration between the B.C. and Alberta governments, shows wildfire smoke hanging over most of Canada.
Its interactive smoke forecast map shows smoke is creating particularly high concentrations of tiny particles in the air over Manitoba and Saskatchewan.