Wildfires haven’t yet made an impact in the Southeast Fire Centre, but there’s plenty of time for that to change.
There are 19 active fires in the region as of Tuesday morning, most of which are under one hectare in size, according to information officer Karlie Shaughnessy.
“We’ve been very lucky in this time of high-fire danger rating,” said Shaughnessy.
So far this year there have been 128 fires that have burnt 132 hectares. Eighty six of those have been caused by lightning, with the remainder caused by people.
That’s more fires than the five-year average of 95, but well below the average of 427 hectares burnt.
The region’s fires are also not contributing to the smoky haze hanging above the Kootenays. That smoke is originating from the Cariboo and Kamloops fire centres. Shaughnessy said the smoke will remain as long as the wind continues to blow it eastward, and could last into the autumn depending on precipitation.
Don’t expect any rain in the short-term either — Shaughnessy said the weather outlook is dry, and the fire-danger rating to stay high or extreme.
“We haven’t had rain for a really long time so all the forest fuels are tinder dry,” she said.
Shaughnessy has been working at the Southeast Fire Centre for 12 years. She warned that the fire season has only begun, and that there’s plenty of time for it to get much worse.
“This is definitely not the busiest year we’ve had. But in relation to the provincial situation, this is a historic event.”
Open burning and camp fire bans remain in place for the region. For regular updates, check bcwildfire.ca.