British Columbia wildfire officials say the intense and early wildfire onset is posing a “significant and extreme fire” risk in the north that will likely intensify across the south of the province in the coming days. Starting Thursday, a provincewide open-burning ban will begin, and a campfire ban will apply to the Prince George Fire Region, the B.C. Wildfire Service announced Tuesday. …As the high-pressure ridge moves and pushes higher temperatures further south, the risk will increase across the southwest coast and in the southeast. “I wouldn’t be surprised if alerts and orders shift out of the north and into the rest of the province,” said Chapman. Forests Minister Bruce Ralston recognized the challenges of evacuation orders and urged British Columbians to follow the fire bans and to be careful on the upcoming May long weekend.