BC Wildfire Service crews continue to work hard to respond quickly to increased fire activity in many regions of the province. Of more than 80 new fires in the last seven days, fewer than 30 remain active, and only 16 remain out of control.

After an early beginning to the season that saw heightened fire behaviour in the northeast, activity remains intense. Lightning strikes in highly receptive fuels have caused many new starts in the Interior and Coastal regions of the province in recent days.

International resources are now supporting in the Prince George Fire Centre, with the arrival of 100 firefighters from Mexico. A further 60 people are coming from the United States to support response, including 20 highly certified single resources and 40 firefighters.

Nationally, fire activity remains high. Ontario and Quebec have benefitted from some recent precipitation, but resources remain stretched in both provinces.

Weather

There were just over 1,200 lightning strikes across the Prince George Fire Centre yesterday, causing some holdover fires. Some regions enjoyed precipitation alongside those strikes, but not enough to alleviate ongoing drought conditions.

Today will likely be the hottest day of the week for many regions of the province. An unstable northwesterly flow will pull cloud and instability down from the Yukon and North West Territories creating cloudy conditions throughout the Interior. The forecast shows more thunderstorms across much of the Interior with risk of lightning along the Coast and on Vancouver Island.

Tomorrow, a unique weather pattern known as a Rex block will hold the current thunderstorm risk in place, increasing temperatures and broadening the area of risk for lightning strikes. Smoke will move southeast into Alberta, creating more of a haze in the southern half of the province. Over the weekend, there is more lightning in the forecast and hazardous conditions will persist.

Wildfires of Note

• Donnie Creek (G80280)
• Big Creek (G60666)
• Nation River (G60853)

Fire Centre	Campfires	Category 2 Open Burning	Category 3 Open Burning	Forest Use  and Area Restrictions
Cariboo Fire Centre				N/A
Coastal Fire Centre				N/A
Kamloops Fire Centre				N/A
Northwest Fire Centre				N/A
Prince George Fire Centre
Southeast Fire Centre				N/A

The next Provincial Wildfire Status Update will be provided on July 10, 2023.