Officials are asking British Columbians to stay alert and stay prepared heading into the B.C. Day long weekend amid a quieter wildfire season.
Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene was joined by Forests Minister Ravi Parmar and Water, Land and Resource Minister Randene Neill, as well as officials from BC Wildfire Service, the River Forecast Centre and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
Parmar said there are currently 62 active wildfires in B.C., with four started in the past 24 hours. Eight were contained in the same period.
He said 98.5 per cent of hectares burned so far this year have been in the Prince George Fire Centre, in the province's northeast, adding that the rest of B.C. is seeing a quieter wildfire season.
"But let me be clear, don't let that lull into a false sense of security. Quick action from BC Wildfire Service crews to local firefighters, we've been able to contain those fires to four hectares or less," Parmar said.
He added it's a delicate balance and "we must keep our guards up."
Parmar reminded British Columbians to be fire smart, clean debris around homes, remove anything that could easily catch fire and know the fire prohibitions in your area.
In B.C., open burning, which includes category 2 and 3 fires, is now prohibited in many areas of the province. Campfires, which are category 1, are banned in the Coastal Fire Centre, excluding Haida Gwaii.
BC Wildfire Service operations director Cliff Chapman said the heatwave over the next couple of days is going to challenge fire crews efforts.
He said that "fortunately, it's the end of July and not the end of June or the end of May." Transitioning into August, Chapman said the days are getting shorter, the nights are getting longer and the relative humidity starts to climb up sooner in the day while temperatures begin to drop.
Neill said that across the province there has been some recent rainfall, helping to ease conditions in some areas, such as the southeast and central Interior. However, she added that other areas are seeing drought conditions worsen.
"Low river flows are already putting fish and aquatic ecosystems at risk."
She added British Columbians have a role to use less water.
"This time of year we typically see peak residential water use across the province. So, tiny little actions ... truly make a difference."
