More than 300 wildfires are blazing across B.C. as of Monday morning (July 22), following a weekend surge in activity that threw hundreds more residents under evacuation orders and alerts.
Of the 333 total blazes, 191 are considered out of control and eight have forced people to flee.
The Ministry of Emergency Management estimates 400 properties are under evacuation order and about 3,000 more are under evacuation alert as of Monday. It told Black Press Media it couldn't provide an estimate on the number of people impacted because the situation is ever-changing.
B.C. Premier David Eby said Monday the government was bringing in all the resources it can to help people threatened by wildfires in the province.
害羞草研究所淚t's an incredibly stressful time for a lot of British Columbians. We've got hundreds of people on evacuation order. We've got thousands on notice that they may need to evacuate their homes. And this is unfortunately, the beginning of the fire season that we were concerned about,害羞草研究所� Eby said during an unrelated news conference.
The number of B.C. "wildfires of note," that pose a risk to people or property or are highly visible, increased from one to four as fire activity spiked over the weekend.
These are the wildfires with evacuation orders attached to them:
Kamloops Fire Centre
Shetland Creek Wildfire
At least 100 properties are under evacuation order in the area around Spences Bridge, about 44 km south of Ashcroft, where the Shetland Creek Wildfire has grown to 19,942 hectares. The Cook's Ferry Indian Band and Thompson-Nicola Regional District have also issued evacuation alerts for dozens more area residents and Ashcroft has placed its entire community of 1,670 people on standby to leave.
The fire is believed to have been ignited by lightning on July 12 and is now considered out of control and a wildfire of note.
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Cariboo Fire Centre
Antler Creek Wildfire
Burning at 3,162 hectares, the Antler Creek Wildfire has forced the evacuation of the entire District of Wells as well as some surrounding properties. The exact number of impacted people hasn't been provided, but the community has a population of 218 people, according to the latest census.
The fire was discovered on July 20 and is believed to have been started by lightning. It is burning out of control and is considered a wildfire of note.
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Southeast Fire Centre
Aylwin Creek Wildfire
At least 107 properties south of the Village of Silverton are under evacuation order thanks to the Aylwin Creek Wildfire. It was started by lightning on July 18 and has grown to 121 hectares. The blaze is classified as a wildfire of note and out of control.
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Island Pond Wildfire
Burning about 17 km south of Canal Flats, the Island Pond Wildfire has triggered an evacuation order on two properties and an alert on another 67. It was discovered on July 20, is believed to have been started by lightning and has burned an area of 44 hectares. It is considered out of control, but not a wildfire of note.
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Mulvey Wildfire
Located west of Slocan, the Mulvey Wildfire has forced the residents of 16 properties to flee and put another 190 homes on standby. It was found on July 18 and has grown to 190 hectares. It is considered out of control and is believed to have been started by lightning.
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Nemo Creek Wildfire
Twenty-one properties on the west shore of Slocan Lake are under evacuation order thanks to the Nemo Creek Wildfire. Lightning ignited the blaze on July 18, which has since grown to 823 hectares. It is classified as out of control.
Prince George Fire Centre
Fort Nelson Wildfires
The first region in B.C. to be issued wildfire evacuation orders back in May, the residents of Fort Nelson are back home, but others who live on the nearby Kahntah Reserve have been told to leave thanks to more recent blazes. The Fort Nelson First Nation issued a local state of emergency on July 9, which remains in place. It's thanks to various wildfires burning in the region.
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Laidman Lake Wildfire
An unknown number of properties are under evacuation order in the Laidman and Williamson Lakes areas, about 110 km south of Vanderhoof. The wildfire there ignited on July 19 and has grown to 1,411 hectares. It's believed to have been caused by lightning and is considered out of control.
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Most recently, Williams Lake declared a local state of emergency late Sunday night, as a result of the River Valley Wildfire. The city hasn't issued an evacuation order, but it has told residents on the west side of the community to be prepared to leave.
Rob Warnock, director of the city's Emergency Operations Centre, said it is believed the fire was started when a tree fell on a power line in the river valley. It's estimated at 40 hectares in size and is considered out of control.
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The BC Wildfire Service says the new and worsening blazes are largely thanks to a combination of above-normal temperatures, ongoing drought conditions and increased lightning strikes.
The intense fire activity across B.C. has been associated with a hot spell that sent temperatures in the Interior past 40 C in recent days. Environment Canada has 28 heat alerts in place for Interior and eastern B.C., although alerts have been lifted in western regions.
Smoke from the wildfires has also resulted in special air quality statements being issued for almost the entire eastern side of B.C., from the Washington border to Fort Nelson in the province害羞草研究所檚 northeast corner.
The heat wave much of B.C. has been experiencing for the past several weeks is expected to begin to ease on Tuesday, according to Environment Canada. Fire fuels remain dry and easily ignitable, however, according to BC Wildfire.
The service says it has 977 firefighting personnel battling the active blazes, including teams that were called in from Nova Scotia, Ontario, New Zealand and Australia.
害羞草研究所� with a file from the Canadian Press
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