Lightning causes about 200 new wildfires in BC as Heat Grip Interior

Hundreds lightning strikes in many parts of British Columbia nearly tripled the number of active wildfires in the province over the weekend, with most fires in central and northern B.C.

The BC Wildfire Service reports more than 300 fires, 87 of which occurred in the past 24 hours and nearly 200 of the total number as uncontrollable.

The wildfire service is bracing for challenging conditions, with lightning storms still in the forecast for most of the week, as well as heat warnings or above-average temperatures throughout the central interior.

Of the 13 fires listed as “major fires,” all but two are in the Prince George and Northwest fire centers, and the wildfire department says 11 have prompted at least one evacuation order, though no major communities are being evacuated. threatened.

Some fires threaten rural highways, including Highway 27 south of Fort St. James and Highway 77 north of Fort Nelson. immediately affects the connection to Watson Lake and Whitehorse.

A wildfire in Yukon has roughly tripled since Sunday and remains uncontrollable, charring about three square miles of scrub in the Ibex Valley, about 19 miles west of Whitehorse, south of the Alaska Highway. along the route.

BC wildfire danger was high to extreme in all small parts of the province on Monday.

Environment Canada posted a severe thunderstorm warning for the Fort Nelson and Peace River regions, the same area where major fires forced evacuations in July.

The weather bureau noted daily high temperature records were set in the province on Sunday, including a high of 33 degrees Celsius in Fort Nelson, two degrees hotter than the previous record for that northeastern community, set 64 years ago.

Forecasters said Nakusp in southeastern BC also reported a blistering 37.2 C on Sunday, topping the old mark set 22 years earlier, and while no daily highs were posted in Yukon, that area remains under heat warnings approaching Extending 500 kilometers from the borders with BC and the Northwest Territories north to Mayo.

Conditions could ease slightly in BC by Tuesday, but Environment Canada said cooler weather in Yukon is unlikely in the coming days.