Despite steady rain and cooler temperatures, the province reminds residents in the Prince George Fire Centre to keep wildfire caution in mind over the long weekend.
At a media conference in Prince George today (Thursday), Bowin Ma, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness said “This region is still relatively dry and with lightning storms more common as we move into the summer we must remain cautious.”
79 of the 92 fires burning across the province are in the Prince George Fire Centre. None are considered to be of note, and no evacuation alerts or orders are in place.
Forrest Tower, a BC Wildfire Service Information Officer, said “The southern part of the Prince George Fire Centre – the City of Prince George – has seen significant and continuous precipitation.”
“In the northern parts of the fire centre we haven’t seen that rain in any form, even snow over the winter,” he explained. “That is where we are still seeing dry and hot conditions. Looking into the next several it looks like it will continue to be hot and dry.”
As a result, Tower said many regional firefighting resources are positioned in the northeast fighting fires near Fort Nelson and Fort St. John.
“We likely will still see some pretty challenging fire behavior and conditions, especially in the northeast, but this window where we aren’t seeing fire everywhere else allows us to put a large amount of our resources on those significant fires,” he said.
Ma added when the rain does stop, much of the province could quickly re-enter a severe drought due to low snow pack levels.
While in Prince George, Ma visited the emergency reception service and spoke with regional mayors about their experiences receiving evacuees or having to be evacuated.
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