The number of wildfires currently burning in BC now sits at 155, which includes 13 that started up Saturday.
Since April 1st, there have been 820 fires and suppression efforts have cost $172.5 million.
The 426,000 hectares already burned is the third highest among total fire seasons in BC’s recorded history. BC Wildfire Service’s Chief Fire Information Officer Kevin Skrepnek reminds us it’s still early in the fire season.
“Given the fact that we are only at the end of July and given the level of activity we’ve already had, I don’t think it’s unrealistic to expect that we could overtake that 1961 number of 483,000 hectares. Regardless of how we look at it, that hectares number is going to be historically significant,” he says.
The most damaging fire season on record was 1958 with 855,000 hectares burned.
Looking at the forecast for part of Southern BC this week, Skrepnek notes temperatures are climbing and there’s little chance of rain.
“We are looking at a dramatic increase in temperatures, potentially reaching 40 degrees in parts of the Central and Southern interior by next week.”
The upside is there isn’t any lightning expected, at least not early in the week.
There are over 4,000 workers fighting the fires. This includes 750 from out of province, 1,500 contractors from the forest industry, and 200 air crafts.
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