Two more wildfires have started in B.C. this long weekend

SQUAMISH (NEWS 1130) — Wildfire season has officially begun in the province with 20 fires currently active.

This weekend crews are battling two brand new blazes.

The first is the Porteau Cove wildfire which is just between Horseshoe Bay and Squamish.

That fire is currently being held at 0.2 hectares and is not threatening any structures.

Fire Information Officer, Erika Berg tells NEWS 1130 the fire is not likely to spread “beyond existing or predetermine boundaries under the prevailing forecasted conditions.”

“We have two crews working today though to continually suppress the fire,” she says. “It’s suspected to be human-caused.”

The Annis Bay fire is between Salmon Arm and Sicamous and is also being held at 0.6 of a hectare in size.

“We continue to have personnel that are fire monitoring.”

The Annis Bay fire (K40560) is now classified as being held at 0.6 ha in size. Twenty-four #BCWildfire Service personnel continue to make good progress on the fire and will remain on site into this evening. For more resources on wildfire prevention: https://t.co/cLYJX3kmeQ pic.twitter.com/QuKAx94L8T

— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) May 23, 2021

Berg says right now B.C.’s interior is particularly dry– but that doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll have a bad wildfire season.

“The majority of [the fires] are within the southern quarter of the province. So things are relatively dry in the interior, which tends to be an area of interest.”

She explains, B.C. tends to rely on rain in June. So despite the number of fires this early in the year, “it doesn’t mean that our summer is going get away from us.”

“The weather is always changing. We’re keeping an eye out always. But you know, the summer has hardly started. June is just around the corner, and we’re hoping for some ample precipitation to keep those fuels not too dry.”

There are currently 237 wildfires burning across the province and about 80 per cent of those have been attributed to human activities.

“This long weekend, where folks are outside enjoying this weather, we’re asking them to be vigilant as always, but even more so was as there is potential for a lot of human-caused starts and therefore, we just don’t want to spread our resources too thin,” she says.

“So something as simple as making sure that your fire is extinguished fully when you maybe call it a night. Meaning that those coals are cool to the touch. So it takes some time and effort, but ultimately, it’s worth your while.”