B.C. wildfires force more evacuations as heat warnings issued

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Evacuation orders have been issued for several B.C. communities, and hundreds more are being told to leave at a moment’s notice, due to out-of-control wildfires.

It comes as hot weather is once again in the forecast this week with several regions expected to get dangerously hot.

More than 300 fires are burning across the province, with 75 new ones sparked since Friday. Twenty-five fires are ranked as especially threatening and the BC Wildfire Service says they are threatening homes and properties.

Wind concerns

While heat has once again emerged as a concern for wildfire spread, some experts are keeping an eye on another potential problem: wind.

“It’s not like earlier when there was no fires, only a few fires on the landscape. Now we have lots of fires on the landscape, and if we get wind events, it’s not good,” explained Mike Flannigan, a fire researcher at Thompson Rivers University.

“The recipe for a wildfire, it’s simple. You need three things: the vegetation, we call it fuel, how much, how dry; second, ignition, people — common in the spring, lightning — common in the summer; and then that hot, dry, windy weather.”

Conditions are already dry and the wildfire risk across most of B.C. is currently ranked “high” or “extreme.”

Based on the forecast, Flannigan is anticipating an “active few days.”

While this year’s statistics have yet to come close to the intense 2017 and 2018 fire seasons, Flannigan says there is still plenty of time left this summer.

“This year reminds me a bit of 2017, except it started earlier,” he told NEWS 1130, noting this fire season was fuelled heavily by the record heatwave in June.

“The bulk of the fire season is still ahead of us for British Columbia. Unless the pattern changes, and we start to see cooler weather conditions, we see a lot of fire and smoke in the future for this summer.”

Okanagan-Similkameen

Among the latest is the Thomas Creek Wildfire, which is burning 1.5 km west of Skaha Lake. It broke out Sunday, forcing the evacuation of 77 properties in Okanagan Falls, in Electoral Area “D.” The order has since been rescinded.

The fire is currently 500 hectares in size and crews remained overnight to try to get a handle it, according to the BC Wildfire Service.

Bill Newell, chief administrative officer with the Regional District of the Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS), says none of the properties are directly threatened at the moment. However, he warns the situation continues to be volatile.

“Conditions can change quickly. We are under a smoke advisory, we are under a heat advisory, and we expect that there will be more activity on the fire line today,” he explained.

Newell, who is also the director of the Emergency Operations Centre, adds there is a reception centre ready to help evacuees. People who are under evacuation order or alert are urged to register, even if they are not in need of help.

As a result of the Thomas Creek fire, the RDOS has urged Skaha Lake boaters to stay out of the area to allows crews to safely collect water as they try and fight the fire with the help of two helicopters.

Road closures are also in place around the fire.

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“Please stay away from the area,” Newell urged. “It’s a hinderance to BC Wildfire — both for their aerial attack and on ground attack — if they have to worry about civilians in the area. They do have perimeters set up around it. Boats, cyclists, vehicles, stay away.”

He is also reminding people to not fly drones in the area, noting they can impact wildfire response.

On Sunday, an evacuation alert was issued for properties in the Becker Lake area, by the District of Coldstream, due a fire burning near Vernon.

Thompson-Nicola 

Near Sun Peaks, an out-of-control fire has forced people from 132 properties to pack up and leave over the weekend due to the Embleton Mountain fire. The Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality has issued an evacuation alert.

To the north of Sun Peaks, another evacuation order was issued on Saturday for homeowners near Big Stick Lake, which is located west of Williams Lake. The BC Wildfire Service was forced to pull ground forces out of the area on Saturday due to the threat of high winds.

The Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako, in conjunction with Yekooche First Nation, Tl’azt’en Nation and BC Parks, has issued an Evacuation Alert for the Camsell Lake area: https://t.co/3Zjcc0amBn

— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) July 12, 2021

Cariboo 

In the Cariboo region, the Flat Lake fire has prompted people to have their “go bag” ready, as a lightning-caused fire burns 27 kilometres southwest of 100 Mile and west of Flat Lake.

Over the weekend, the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako and the Wet’suwet’en First Nation expanded an evacuation alert to include more properties as the Camsell Lake Wildfire burns. It is only 10 hectares in size but officials are urging everyone to be cautious as it may grow and threaten nearby properties.

Weather Warnings

Monday’s weather conditions are only expected to further challenge the firefighting efforts. Environment Canada has issued a round of heat warnings for parts of B.C., including the Southern Interior. Although less aggressive than the previous heat wave in June, it will be very hot, with no rain in the forecast.

Daytime highs are expected to rang between 35 to 38 degrees Celsius from Monday through to Wednesday in the Okanagan Valley. The Caiboo, Fraser Canyon, South Thompson, North Thompson, Boundary, and 100 Mile regions are also bracing for several days of higher-than-average temperatures. Residents are advised to monitor themselves and loved ones for any heat-related illnesses.

The province has announced it will be matching all Red Cross donations to help those impacted by the wildfires, up to $20 million.

Donations can be made at the Red Cross website, as well as BC Liquor stores.

-With files from Paul James