Firefighters battling along the Wesley Ridge wildfire are dealing with a blaze that has roughly 150 per cent more fuel to burn through compared to normal. Rory Colwell, fire behaviour analyst for BC Wildfire Service, pointed to “evidence of drought”, and said the conditions are causing the fire to spread to areas and in ways not normally seen. “You can see how dry and crunchy the ground is,” Colwell said in a video update posted the evening of Aug. 4. “Some of the logs that we’re seeing of this size out in the forest are showing as low as 10 or 12 per cent moisture content.” As of 11 a.m. on Aug. 5, the fire remains at 511 hectares in size. More than 200 firefighting personnel are responding, assisted by seven helicopters, as well as land-based air tankers and skimmers, and eight pieces of heavy equipment.