According to the BC Wildfire Service, there are currently 161 fires burning in BC, with 22 new ones starting Thursday, and the situation doesn’t seem to be getting better.
Chief fire Information Officer Kevin Skrepnek says since April 1st, there have been a total of 1,181 blazes.
“They’ve burned an estimated 1,080,941 hectares of land, and that number is likely to fluctuate up and down in the days ahead. This is certainly a historically significant number; far and away the most area burned in our province’s history, and in a single wildfire season.”
.@BCGovFireInfo: Most began in #Southeast Fire Centre, recommend ppl to stay out of backcountry, same for #Cariboo, #Kamloops | #BCWildfires
— Kyle Balzer (@KyleBalzer) September 1, 2017
Skrepnek says firefighting crews and personnel are gearing up for what is predicted to be a hot and dry September.
Environment Canada is expecting record-high temperatures to be broken from a lack of rain in most regions.
.@BCGovFireInfo: Weather is appearing to be unprecedented for Sept; @environmentca expecting record-high temps to be broken | #BCWildfires
— Kyle Balzer (@KyleBalzer) September 1, 2017
Skrepnek advises everyone to take extra care during this Labour Day long weekend.
“We are strongly recommending people to stay out of the backcountry across the Cariboo, Kamloops, and Southeast Fire Centres. We also still have a campfire ban in place for almost the entire Southern half the province, well as the Vanderhoof Forest District.”
To report any new fires burning in your area, you’re being asked to call the BC Wildfire Service at *5555.
For more information, you can click here.
#BCwildfire risk in many parts of BC remains high. Pls remain vigilant over #LabourDayWeekend to prevent wildfires! https://t.co/zEco63sbzQ
— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) September 1, 2017