Seton Unit Crew members work along the south edge of the Brunswick Complex wildfires near North Bend, B.C., July 9.BC Wildfire Service/via Reuters
Wildfire officials and crews across British Columbia were preparing for a potentially significant uptick in fire activity in the coming days as dry conditions collide with expected lightning, particularly in the southern two-thirds of the province.
The director of wildfire operations for the BC Wildfire Service, Cliff Chapman, told a news conference on Tuesday that fuels on the landscape were “as dry as they can get,” making much of the province “highly susceptible” to wildfires.
At the same time, there was potential for “dry” lightning over the next 48 hours, particularly in southern parts of B.C. near the United States border.
“What dry lightning means is that we will see high winds, lightning hitting the ground, and it will come with very little or no precipitation leading to a very high potential of wildfire starts and wildfire spreads,” Chapman said.
The wildfire service was prepared, he said, with crews on alert for new blazes.
“This is absolutely the time to be diligent in this province, as we are potentially going to be dealing with a significant wildfire event in the next 48 hours,” he said.
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Drought conditions and record-low stream flows in some areas have meanwhile prompted officials to urge residents to conserve water or risk it becoming scarce.
Water Minister Randene Neill said declining stream flows and rising water temperatures place additional pressures on fish and aquatic ecosystems. Record lows were being recorded in the Okanagan in particular, she noted
Water restrictions are set by local authorities, she said, but the province could step in with protection orders if required, for example, if juvenile salmon were at risk.
“I know these decisions can have a strong impact on people, particularly farmers. We do not make these decisions lightly,” she told Tuesday’s news conference.
“Any decision to issue a temporary protection order is guided by science, local knowledge and Indigenous knowledge.”
The Brunswick Creek wildfire consumes trees on a mountainside, in Boston Bar, B.C., July 9.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
A statement from Neill’s ministry said parts of southern B.C. remained under significant pressure from drought conditions, with areas of Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the southern Interior showing record-low stream flows.
It said watersheds where risks to aquatic ecosystems and fish populations were increasing included the Koksilah, Tsolum and Salmon rivers and Bessette Creek.
There were 22 active wildfires in B.C. on Tuesday, including a blaze east of Osoyoos, B.C., that prompted a short-lived evacuation alert on Monday.
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen has since rescinded the alert, with the wildfire service now classifying the fire as burning “under control.”
The service had already warned that dry conditions risked an increase in fire hazard as crews continued to battle blazes in the Fraser Canyon.
It said crews were planning to conduct “heavy helicopter bucketing” on Tuesday to prevent an out-of-control blaze near the community of Boston Bar, B.C., from moving east toward Merritt, B.C., across an area inaccessible to groundcrews.
A helicopter drops water while fighting the Brunswick Creek wildfire in Boston Bar, B.C., July 9. There are currently about 23 active wildfires in B.C., with six listed as out of control.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
The efforts to combat the 189-square-kilometre Brunswick complex of wildfires came as another blaze further north in the Thompson Nicola Regional District prompted fresh evacuation alerts for at least two properties north of Lillooet, B.C.
The French Bar Creek wildfire was measured at 12 square kilometres in size, with the wildfire service saying it was presenting challenges to crews due to terrain, water availability and limited access to the site.
The Brunswick complex to the south, which consists of the Brunswick Creek and Ainslie Creek fires, had already triggered evacuation orders and alerts for hundreds of homes in the region, about 200 kilometres northeast of Vancouver.
The efforts to prevent the Ainslie Creek blaze from moving east coincided with crews assessing structure protection measures along the Highway 8 corridor linking Merritt to Spences Bridge, B.C., it added.
An evacuation alert covering 61 properties near Merritt remained in effect, issued by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, while the Nooaitch Indian Band had also told residents of its main reserve to get ready to leave on short notice last week.
Adam Hart, emergency program co-ordinator with the City of Merritt, said on Monday there was still a “large buffer area” between the city and perimeter of the Ainslie Creek blaze, but officials were monitoring the situation.