Forest Minister Ravi Parmar told reporters on Wednesday (Aug. 6) that in the past week, roughly 70,000 lightning strikes have hit B.C., leading to a "sudden increase" in fire activity.
He also said that the B.C. Wildfire Service has largely been able to keep the fires from spreading.
So far this season, more than 850 wildfires have sparked in B.C, but the province has kept 85 per cent of them smaller than four hectares, and only 120 were active on Aug. 6.
As of Aug. 11 last year, there had been more than 1,300 fires, with almost 400 still active on that date.
The only current "wildfire of note" is the Wesley Ridge fire on Vancouver Island. The fire is at Cameron Lake, between Parksville and Port Alberni, and is 530 hectares in size. Evacuation orders are in place for 400 homes, and 700 more are on evacuation alert.
Cliff Chapman, the BC Wildfire Service's operations director, credited weather conditions and the lack of a persistent heat wave for this year's firefighting success, but also said new technologies such as night vision and drought sensors have aided efforts.
"Sometimes fires that are very difficult to suppress during the heat of the day, night vision has allowed us the ability to really step up our night operation game," Chapman said.
Because fire activity decreases at night, Chapman said BC Wildfire has always fought fires after dark. The difference is that now they are using helicopters and planes to dump water at nighttime because they can see where the fires are.
Other new technologies are also allowing wildfire personnel to track the moisture levels in forest fuels and deploy resources in the driest areas.
And a new feature on the BC Wildfire Service app, which allows people to upload pictures, has also helped firefighters locate new starts more quickly.
All of this together has given the wildfire service a "leg up" this year, Chapman said.
Not out of the woods yet
Recent rains and cooler temperatures have helped the situation in some places, but others, such as the northeast, remain dry.
"Unfortunately, the rain that we're going to see now is not going to hit the northeast of the province," Chapman said. "So our Prince George Fire Centre, that has been working tirelessly, really, for the better part of three years, continues to see that they're just missing those significant rain event days."
Before the rains came this week, high temperatures and low humidity dried forest fuels out further in the southern interior. This heat is supposed to return over the weekend
With long-term drought conditions in some places, it takes fewer of these hot, dry days to increase the fire danger, Chapman said.
It used to be that late-August rains would soak the forest and end the fire season, but Chapman said this hasn't happened in recent years. With dry fuels built up in many parts of the province, this could mean the fires could continue into the fall.
That all being said, this summer hasn't had the type of sustained heat that has caused major fire activity in recent years. The up-and-down temperature cycle allows firefighters to gain ground and directly attack fires, even though it doesn't decrease the overall fire danger.
Partial burn bans continue
The province has level two burn bans in place in all regions, with campfire bans in parts of the Coastal Fire Centre area.
Over the long weekend, Parmar said the B.C. Conservation Officer Service issued 26 violation tickets for illegal campfires where those bans are in place.
"That's unacceptable," he said. "This kind of activity puts people and livelihoods at risk."
Parmar also noted an increase in online misinformation, including the posting of misleading AI-generated images. He encouraged people to be careful about what information they share online. For up-to-date and accurate information about the current provincial wildfire situation, including alerts and fire prohibitions, people can check the .