Wildfires classified as out-of-control in BC dwindled over the weekend, though there are still over 200 total fires 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 behaviour presented “numerous challenges” this summer.
CTV News reported that as of Monday, 210 wildfires remain active in BC; 16 of those fires were considered out-of-control. Meanwhile, 11 fires were classified as wildfires of note.
“About 300 personnel from the Canadian Armed Forces’ Land Task Force and 55 personnel from the Air Task Force were assigned to help with wildfires in BC, with about 625 individuals cycling through as part of that ongoing effort,” said Conroy. She also noted that those crews “played a significant role” in helping respond to the out-of-control fires such as the Thomas Creek, Flat Lake and White Rock Lake fires.
The Armed Forces deployment in BC ended earlier this week. Crews from other Canadian provinces, as well as from Australia and Mexico also assisted in fighting the blazes.
“Although there are still over 200 wildfires burning in B.C., weather conditions and fire behaviour 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.
A total of 1,578 blazes have been recorded in BC so far for this year’s wildfire season. Of that number, 891 of them were believed to have sparked by lightning, while 518 was 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.
