The risk of wildfire in the Prince George area is rising as the temperature continues to hike across the province.
According to Sharon Nickel, Prince George Fire Centre Spokesperson says the risk of wildfire has been rising for the past two days.
“Right now we’re sort of split in our zone between a high and an extreme, just given the hot dry conditions that we’ve been having, everything’s been trending upwards on that so I would say at the base level we’re at a high risk for fires,” she explained.
Nickel says that even though the area saw plenty of rain earlier in the season, it doesn’t balance out the risk presented from the dryness that comes with the heat.
She reassures residents that while the risk is high, it’s not nearly as high as it was in previous years.
“Things have started to pick up a little bit but of course nothing like the 2017- 18 years but we’re seeing a few fires up North in the Fort St. John and Fort Nelson zone,” she noted.
According to the BC Wildfire Service, crews are currently responding to a wildfire in the Pink Mountain area that has grown to about 3,000 hectares.
Additionally, evacuations have been ordered as two wildfires are burning out of control near Lillooet and Kamloops.
Meanwhile, Nickel says the Prince George Fire Centre isn’t expecting the wildfire risk to go down anytime soon.
“If we are getting a cooldown, and it should cool down a little bit towards the end of the week it’s only going to cool down to around 30, so it’s still seasonal and above seasonal for Prince George,” she added.
Nickel reminds anyone that sees smoke, fire or unattended campfires to report it by calling the BC Wildfire Service.
The BC government recently announced more than $1.2 million will be provided to 13 local governments and First Nations within the PG Fire Centre to support wildfire risk reduction initiatives and help keep communities safe.