(image credit - CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

WILDFIRE OUTLOOK

High fire danger throughout Kamloops Fire Centre as campfire ban begins

Jul 6, 2023 | 4:19 PM

KAMLOOPS — With the two hottest months of the year still ahead, the province of B.C. has already lost more than 1-million hectares of forests to wildfires this year. That figure puts British Columbia in the third worst wildfire season to date in terms of land lost. Despite the loss of forest, the fire season has not been as devastating for properties and communities as those prior.

The fire danger rating in the Kamloops Fire Centre is currently listed at high, as temperatures across the region are expecting to rise through the weekend.

“The Kamloops Fire Centre is seeing a high danger rating due to the increase in warmer temperatures, the potential for lightning and just an usual dry June and spring that we have witnessed across the region,” said BC Wildfire Service Fire Information Officer Taylor Shantz.

As of Thursday (July 6), there are five active fires within the fire centre, with two listed as out of control. The wildfire service expects that that number could increase with hot, dry conditions and possible lightning in the forecast with no significant precipitation to alleviate drought conditions.

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“Our fuels are really increasingly dry and available to burn throughout most regions in the province. We are expecting a significant number of lightning strikes here in the coming days, across the southern two-thirds and northeast corner of the province,” stated BC Wildfire Service Lead Forecaster Matt MacDonald.

To assist with the fire danger, 160 firefighters from the United States and Mexico are expected to arrive in B.C. this week and be deployed to the Prince George Fire Centre. The units will be sent elsewhere in the province if the need arises.

“What we are going to see in the next two weeks is we are going to see more potential fire on the landscape spread from the north to the south with new starts with anticipated lightning each day. We encourage everybody to be extremely cautious as we go through the rest of the his and the rest of the summer,” added BC Wildfire Service Provincial Operations Manager Cliff Chapman.

With the anticipation of fire starts, the Kamloops and Cariboo Fire Centres are re-enacting a campfire bans.

“There are a number of factors that go into that decision. We saw rain over the last couple of weeks so the decision was made to repeal it. It’s going back into place because we are starting to see that warmer and drier weather and we are starting to see that higher risk. These bans are taken seriously and there are put in place to protect public safety,” said Shantz.

The bans will begin at noon Friday (July 7).