Rain could soon help crews fighting B.C. wildfires, but risk of lightning poses a threat
Posted August 22, 2018 5:43 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A change in the weather is mixed news for crews fighting wildfires around our province.
While there is still widespread fire activity — with more than 500 active wildfires — there may be cooler and wetter days coming this weekend.
“We may get some patchy precipitation. That’s expected to be mostly in the eastern and southern areas of the province. Unfortunately, that rain could be accompanied by a higher risk of lightning, as well as increased winds,” said Kyla Fraser, a fire information officer with the BC Wildfire Service.
“We currently have 55 wildfires of note in B.C. Those are fires that are highly visible to the public or potentially pose a threat to public safety,” she added.
More than 3,600 people are helping fight fires across B.C.
“We have firefighters, as well as support personnel from a number of provinces across Canada, as well as Mexico, New Zealand, and Australia,” she added.
Members of the Canadian Armed Forces are also involved.
The largest fire is still the Shovel Lake wildfire, burning west of Prince George. It’s about 870km².
