Category Archives: Forest Fires

The unprecedented heat wave in B.C. has pushed the risk of wildfire to dangerous levels, according to a University of British Columbia professor. Lori Daniels, a professor with UBC’s department of forest and conservation sciences, said the fire danger rating for nearly the entire province is classified as either high or extreme and that British Columbians need to do everything they can to avoid any activity that could spark a fire. “Now is the time to be very, very careful about fire,” she said. According to Daniels, B.C.’s current fire danger map looks similar to maps from August 2017 and August 2018, two of the worst wildfire seasons on record. Daniels said the province had a drier than normal spring with parts of B.C.’s Interior receiving one-fifth of their normal rainfall during May and June. “We put this heat on top of it and we’re in an extreme fire danger and we’re seeing that now with fires starting in different parts of the province,” she said.

A forest fire that began after three days of record-breaking temperatures has destroyed most of the small western Canadian town of Lytton, as government officials issued fresh evacuation orders on Thursday as more wildfires tore through the province. More than 1,000 people in and around Lytton, in central British Columbia, were evacuated late on Wednesday after the fast-moving fire engulfed the community, catching residents by surprise. The cause of the fire was being investigated, B.C Premier John Horgan told reporters. …”The town has sustained structural damage and 90% of the village is burned, including the centre of the town,” Brad Vis, a member of Parliament for Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon, said in a Facebook post. …Horgan said 62 new fires were reported in B.C. in the past 24 hours, forcing authorities to issue new evacuation orders affecting some 700 people in B.C.’s Cariboo region. …Amateur video footage showed residents of Lytton scrambling to leave town in cars as fires burned down trees and some structures.

Additional coverage in the Victoria Times Colonist by the Canadian Press: Fire destroys most of Lytton; anguished son recalls seeing parents trapped

Three hours after estimating the size of three wildfires burning east of Kelowna, BC Wildfire updated its measurements Thursday afternoon. In an interview with Global News, BC Wildfire said the combined size of the three separate fires is 1,400 hectares — up from 150 hectares in the morning. All three — Hilda Creek, Long Loch (300) and Derickson Lake (100) — were discovered Tuesday and were initially small before exploding in size on Wednesday. At one point, BC Wildfire pegged the Long Loch and Derickson Lake wildfires at a combined 400 hectares, but then told media Thursday morning that the fires were around 150 hectares in size. Then in the afternoon, that was upgraded to a combined 1,400 hectares. …Seven kilometres southeast of that fire is the Derickson Lake wildfire, which is now listed at 1,300 hectares, up from the morning’s updated estimate of 50 hectares. It’s located around 18 km north of Big White, and is also deemed out of control.

In an update late Tuesday night, the BC Wildfire Service says the Sparks Lake wildfire has grown again, to 2,300 hectares in size.  That is triple the previous size estimate of 750 hectares this afternoon, and much higher than the estimated size of 350 hectares just 12 hours ago.  There were nine properties put on evacuation order at about 4 p.m., and 150 other properties have now been placed on evacuation alert.  Homes on an evacuation order include 7501, 7560, 7645, 7750, 8088, and 8092 Tranquille Criss Creek Road, 7900 and 8185 Seven Lakes Road and 4000 Leblond Road. Residents at those properties have been asked to check in at the McArthur Island Events Centre in Kamloops.  The properties on evacuation alert are in the Deadman, Red Lake, Vidette Lake and Tranquille Valley areas. Details from the Thompson-Nicola Regional District can be found here.  

The Mckay Creek Fire north of Lillooet has exploded to 5,000 hectares in size. The growth of the fire, fuelled by record hot temperatures, has been remarkably fast since it was discovered Tuesday. The Squamish Lillooet Regional District has issued evacuation orders for a large area spanning from the 14 km mark on West Pavilion Road to the SLRD border with Thompson-Nicola Regional District. Residents are being told to evacuate along West Pavilion Road towards Lillooet. RCMP from Pemberton are helping with the evacuations.

BC Wildfire Service crews are battling an out of control fire near Red Lake, about 15 kilometres north of Kamloops Lake. The Sparks Lake fire was estimated at 40 hectares as of 7:45 p.m. on Monday. There are 27 BC Wildfire personnel fighting the fire, which is centred in a thick stand of trees. In addition, there are a number of aircraft and heavy equipment on the ground aiding in the effort. The BC Wildfire Service said there are no structures threatened as of 7:45 p.m. Thick, white smoke from the blaze can be seen from Kamloops.

Residents of an area between Evansberg and Wildwood evacuated because of a wildfire were told by Yellowhead County they could return home at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The 181-hectare wildfire continued to burn out of control but was not moving Wednesday in the Edson forest area nine kilometres west of Evansburg, about 100 kilometres west of Edmonton. “The wildfire is not moving at this time,” said Alberta Wildfire information officer Colby Lachance in a Wednesday afternoon update. Thirty-two firefighters were engaged in suppression and containment efforts Wednesday afternoon, aided by six air tankers and four helicopters. The blaze crossed the Lobstick River Tuesday evening and is currently burning north of Highway 16 and west of Highway 22. There is some fire activity in the interior of the area but the majority of the fire is smouldering on the outskirts, she said.

BC Wildfire Service crews were on scene battling several new out-of-control wildfires on Wednesday. Crews were called to an area 11 kilometres southwest of Kamloops, where an 0.5 hectare fire was burning next to the Coquihalla Highway. Near Nelson in the West Kootenay, crews were battling the 0.5 hectare Balfour Knob fire, located four kilometres north of Balfour. Smoke from the fire was visible from Nelson, but no structures were threatened… The fire is believed to have been caused by lightning. Crews were also about 13 kilometres southeast of Hope Wednesday, fighting the Eleven Mile Creek fire. That fire … had grown to 50 hectares in size, and burning away from Highway 3 in steep, rugged terrain. The BC Wildfire Service said smoke from the fire was highly visible from the highway. Sixty-one firefighters were on scene, with the support of four helicopters. No structures were threatened.

Further coverage:

A wildfire that was discovered Sunday (June 20) near Hope is now burning out of control and as of Tuesday was 35 hectares in size. The blaze is located around Eleven Mile Creek, which is halfway between Hope and Sunshine Valley. Going east on Highway 3, the area is accessed by a forest service road and is a hiking and all-terrain vehicle destination. On Monday on the provincial government’s B.C. Wildfire Dashboard web page, it was listed at 20 hectares and is one of two fires currently classified as out of control. A Tweet from the BC Wildfire Services Tuesday just before noon said it had nearly doubled in size.

All evacuation alerts issued for properties around the George Road wildfire near Lytton have now been lifted. Earlier this evening, the Lytton First Nation rescinded evacuation alerts it had issued for IR 20, Kitzowit. That followed a decision by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District early this morning to rescind an evacuation alert for 10 homes in Electoral District I. In an update Monday evening, the BC Wildfire Service indicated crews had made good progress on workable areas of the fire while helicopters continued to bucket the “inoperable, steep parts of the fire.” “As the hot weather persists, increased fire behaviour may be visible in the inoperable areas of the east flank. “This is behaviour that is expected and accounted for in the long-term monitor and modified response strategy.”

An evacuation alert has been issued for 10 properties near Lytton, B.C., as crews work to tackle an out-of-control wildfire. The Thompson-Nicola Regional District said Thursday the fire threatened structures and residents in Electoral Area “I” (Blue Sky Country). Residents were warned to prepare essential items and to be ready to leave with a moment’s notice. The BC Wildfire Service said the fire — the first “wildfire of note” of the season — was burning about seven kilometres south of Lytton, and adjacent to Highway 1. As of Thursday evening, it was 80 hectares in size, and burning in steep terrain that was challenging for crews to access.

Alberta has deployed 81 firefighters to help battle wildfires in northern Ontario. On Thursday, 41 wildland firefighters were deployed to the province and on Sunday another 38 firefighters and two support staff joined them. Ontario had submitted a request for assistance to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) after a number of lightning strikes caused several new fires, according to the province. …There have been 330 wildfires in Ontario so far this year, well above the 10-year average of 207 fires in a season, which runs April through October. There are 31 active fires in the province’s northwest region, which is where the Alberta firefighters have been deployed, seven of which are not under control. One fire, which has grown to 2,410 hectares, is located just 45 kilometres from the town of Nipigon. 

British Columbia is deploying more than 200 personnel to help fight wildfires in Ontario and Quebec.   In a written statement, the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development said it was sending 184 firefighters on Friday and Saturday, and another 20 on Sunday.   “COVID-19 precautions will be taken to protect the health of everyone participating, both during their time in Central Canada and on their return to this province,” the ministry said.  “Firefighters will remain within their own ‘bubbles’ and conduct operations separately from Quebec and Ontario firefighters.”  The ministry says the province recognizes the importance of sharing firefighting resources across jurisdictions. Last month, it sent crews to Manitoba. The personnel can be recalled at any time if they’re needed back in B.C., the ministry says. 

Rainfall in the next three weeks is crucial if British Columbia hopes to avoid a devastating wildfire season — but the latest outlook from the B.C. Wildfire Service offers little optimism.  The service says rainfall and temperatures were near normal across the northern half of the province in May, but the same period was significantly drier than average throughout southern B.C.  Warmer and drier conditions are expected to persist in June across most of the south, while the wildfire service outlook says there’s no clear trend for the rest of the province.  …Nearly 300 wildfires have been sparked across the province since April 1, which is higher than normal, and the wildfire service says If the conditions remain the same, southern B.C. can expect an above-average fire season.