Ministers in British Columbia are expected to provide an update on wildfires Tuesday, as hot and dry weather paired with 29 consecutive days of lightning has led to more than 400 active wildfires across the province, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS).
Though seasonable temperatures are forecast to return this week, the service says new lightning-caused fires are expected to persist.
As of Tuesday, the BCWS says there have been 256 new fire starts in the last seven days, of which approximately 82 per cent are believed to be caused by lightning. Just under 90 per cent of all active blazes in the province had the same cause, according to the service.
Around 40 per cent of the more than 420 fires burning across the province are considered to be out of control by the wildfire service.
Bowinn Ma, minister of emergency management and climate readiness, as well as Bruce Ralston, minister of forests, are expected to provide a wildfire update at 1:30 p.m. PT Tuesday.
There are currently four wildfires of note in the province, meaning they are either highly visible or pose a threat to public safety and infrastructure, according to the BCWS. All of these blazes are burning in the province’s southern Interior.
Campfires continue to be banned across B.C. except for the Prince George Fire Centre, which encompasses the province’s northeast quarter, and the Cassiar zone of the Northwest Fire Centre.