High winds and no rain expected to worsen fires in Prince George Fire Centre

The BC Wildfire Service is warning northern residents that fires in the area could see substantial growth in the next 48 hours.

Winds of 40-60 kilometers an hour are in the forecast across northern BC, and we are not expected to get any of the rain that has been falling in the southern parts of the province recently.

“There are some fires on the landscape up there… that are going to get that wind on them over the next 48 hours,” Cliff Chapman, the BC Wildfire Service’s Director of Operations, said at a provincial news conference this morning (Thursday). “That is a significant wind after seven days of drying.”

This comes in a year where the Prince George Fire Centre has already shattered regional and provincial fire records.

The wind comes as 26/34 basins in the province are still at a 4/5 or 5/5 drought level.

“Significant rainfall does not typically come until the fall, which means we can anticipate drought conditions to persist in the province for the next while,” Bruce Ralston, the Minister of Forests, said, once again reminding people and businesses to conserve water wherever possible.

Because of the ongoing drought and fire season, the province made the call to extend the state of emergency that was put in place in mid August until September 14th.

“While many people have returned home, tens of thousands of British Columbians remain under evacuation order or alert due to wildfires,” said Bowinn Ma, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness. “We’re continually assessing the situation – which can evolve quickly – and will enact emergency orders to ensure the safety of people in our province as needed.”

4,200 people are still on evacuation order in BC, with another 65,000 on evacuation alert.

There are currently 130 fires burning in the Prince George Fire Centre and 423 burning across the province.

1,452,538 hectares have burned in the Prince George Fire Centre this year, 1,912,204 have burned across BC. Both of these numbers are all-time highs by a wide margin.