Lightning strikes help spark over 50 new wildfires; 10 in Kamloops area

Jun 20, 2018 | 5:26 PM

KAMLOOPS — Lightning strikes were responsible for 51 new fire starts in B.C. Wednesday, including 10 in the Kamloops Fire Centre.

“Lightning seems to be a big driver in a lot of these fires in the last 12 to 24 hours,” says Ryan Turcot, fire information officer with the BC Wildfire Service. “We’ve seen substantial lightning activity especially in southern and central B.C.”

He says the good news is that the majority of the fires have been holding at “relatively small sizes,” with the exception of the largest fire which has grown to 90 hectares and is located 15 kilometres west of Burns Lake.