For the first time in more than a month, showers and cooler weather are expected to reach parched sections of British Columbia, potentially bringing some respite to crews battling hundreds of wildfires.
According to Environment Canada, about 20 millimeters of rain is expected to fall on Vancouver Island and the Greater Vancouver area. Showers could be more erratic around Kamloops, however, where a fire just south of the city has forced the evacuation of 344 properties.
Rancher Doug Haughton told CHNL radio that the Ross Moore Lake Fire “exploded like a cannon” over the weekend after starting Friday afternoon.
Mr. Haughton, who is also the director of Electoral Area L in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, worked all day Sunday to evacuate his animals before the fire approached his property. According to him, some neighbors “have been very, very hard hit” by the disaster.
The threat persists
The BC Fire Department says that blaze now covers 18 square kilometers, prompting the regional district to dramatically increase evacuation orders on Sunday.
The blaze, which was fanned by high winds, is one of nearly 500 active wildfires in British Columbia, an increase of about 100 in recent days.
Regional District Information Officer Colton Davies said smoke from the fire is “extremely visible” from both the Coquihalla Freeway and Highway 5A. Those strong northeasterly winds fanned the fire’s growth and spread smoke over Kamloops and other communities.
Davies said the region’s high temperatures and low humidity created an environment conducive to the fire spreading rapidly over the weekend, and the threat persists.
“We don’t expect it to be this hot today,” he said. We expect, just looking at the forecast, more winds today, which is never ideal for fire situations. »
The wildfire danger rating is high to extreme in southern British Columbia, including around Cranbrook, where a week-long blaze has charred 40 square kilometers, forcing evacuations and alerts for hundreds of properties.
The weather office expects showers and cooler temperatures to bypass Cranbrook and much of the southeast corner of British Columbia.
The Forest Fire Department reports 487 active wildfires in the province, more than half of which are classified as out of control.