Military support arrives in BC to fight nearly 380 wildfires across the province
The British Columbia government says military support is coming for deployment after requesting Ottawa’s help in fighting nearly 380 wildfires burning across the province.
BC’s Department of Emergency Management says two Canadian Forces reconnaissance teams were deployed on Sunday, including an “Army team” headed for Prince George and an Air Force team headed for Kamloops.
A statement from the ministry says the teams are conducting assessments that will inform deployment plans for additional federal resources.
It says a working group including members of Public Safety Canada, the military and BC emergency management and wildfire officials will also meet on Monday.
With about 380 wildfires in BC, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center says the province has the most fires of anywhere in Canada.
And the number of highly visible, threatening or potentially damaging “wildfires” rose to 23 from 20 on Saturday, and there were more than 70 wildfire-related evacuation warnings or orders on Sunday, many of them clustered in different regions of BC’s central interior.
The Cariboo Regional District on Friday issued an evacuation order covering nearly 3,340 square kilometers in the Lhoosk’uz area, west of Quesnel, as well as several others in the region.
The Bulkley-Nechako Regional District, meanwhile, says an evacuation order issued June 30 in response to the Big Creek wildfire has been rescinded and residents of a remote area that includes Omineca Provincial Park can return home, though they have yet to return. be alerted at all times and must be ready to go immediately.
District chairman Mark Parker says some cloud cover and heavy smoke helped respond to the region’s many fires, prompting 11 evacuation orders and 13 warnings as of 3 p.m. Sunday.
“For the past three or four days, we’ve really smoked in,” he told CBC News. “The only benefit of the smoke is that it helped them build some containment lines a little closer to the fires because the fire activity is reduced.”
He hopes the progress made in recent days can help as thunderstorms are forecast across the region on Sunday afternoon.
“We have fires all over our district, north, south, east, west. We need a break and we need that lightning to stop,” he said.
“Any moisture is welcome moisture right now, especially if it comes without lightning.”
Some international firefighters are also arriving soon to assist local crews, Parker added.
Environment Canada on Sunday warned of two severe thunderstorms near the region’s border with the Fraser-Fort George Regional District and the Cariboo Regional District, which could bring golf ball-sized hail, high winds and flash flooding from “torrential rain.”
One storm may cross Highway 97 between Prince George and Hixton before 6 p.m. PT and another is southeast of McLeod Lake.
#WildfireSmoke can pose a serious health risk, especially for children, seniors and people with heart or lung disease. Use the health index #AirQuality to find out if you are at risk: https://t.co/K1Uuioq5pv pic.twitter.com/0nRcuSFWYR< /a>
Residents of the area are urged to stay indoors if they hear thunder or see lightning.
“Heavy downpours can cause flash flooding and water puddles on roads. Very large hail can damage property, break windows, dent vehicles and cause serious injury,” the warning reads.
The forecast continues to warn of smoky skies and reduced visibility in central and eastern BC from the Yukon border to the Kootenays.
The Peace River Regional District in the northeastern part of the province also canceled an evacuation warning for 60 properties due to the Donnie Creek fire, the largest in British Columbia history.
The alert covered a long stretch of Highway 97 and property in a remote area north of Fort St. John for more than two weeks.
Drought in many parts of BC
BC’s drought bulletin shows widespread drought, and the fire hazard rating is ranked from high to extreme in much of the province.
Four of the 34 basins the province monitors are ranked at the most severe level of drought, meaning adverse impacts are almost certain. That includes all of Vancouver Island, the Bulkley-Lakes Basin, and the Fort Nelson Basin.
The Department of Transport has warned drivers not to stop and stop to take pictures of bushfires because it is “very unsafe” to do so.
A statement on Facebook says ministry officials have heard reports of people stopping along highways, particularly Highway 16 between Prince Rupert and Prince George, a route where several key fires are burning nearby.
