Improving B.C. Weather Conditions Help Firefighters in Battling Over 200 Wildfires

Thus far in British Columbia’s wildfire season, a total of 1,578 blazes have been recorded. Of that number, 891 of them were believed to have sparked by lightning, while 518 were considered human-caused. The remaining 169 fires are of unknown cause. Some 866,814 hectares of land has been scorched by wildfire so far this year.

Thanks to improving weather conditions in the province, the number of wildfires classified as out-of-control dropped over the past Labor Day weekend to 16, with another 11 wildfires being classified ‘as of note.’ There are still over 200 active wildfires burning across the province.

In a release, BC minister of forests Katrine Conroy noted that this year’s wildfire season has been “one of the most active and destructive on record,” adding that dry conditions and aggressive fire behavior presented “numerous challenges” this summer. Conroy continued, “Although there are still over 200 wildfires burning in B.C., weather conditions and fire behavior have improved dramatically in recent days. Given the current fire situation, we have sufficient resources in place to respond appropriately to current wildfire activity,” the minister stated.