At least 1,000 lightning strikes set off brush fires in B.C.
Lightning strikes from Saturday night storms spark new brush fires and damage at least one home
Residents living along B.C.'s South Coast and southern Interior were treated to a spectacular light show on the weekend, as thunderstorms fired up and produced at least 1,000 recorded lightning strikes, setting off eight new brush fires and damaging a Kamloops home.
According to Environment Canada, close to 1,000 lightning strikes were recorded in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley alone, occuring between 9:30 p.m. PDT Saturday and 1 a.m. PDT Sunday morning.
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BRUSH FIRES IGNITED, KAMLOOPS HOME DAMAGED
As a result of the lightning strikes, the B.C. Wildfire Service had to respond to eight new fires, which were discovered sometime between Saturday and Sunday, according to fire information officer Hannah Swift.
“We did have personnel on all of those fires,” she told Global News. “We do have one southeast of Lillooet that we don’t have personnel on yet because of weather making it unsafe for crews, but all others we have responded to.”
They were all considered to be spot-sized, as the largest one was 0.9 hectares near Tranquille Creek. Two of the fires are burning near Kamloops, but Swift stated they don’t pose a danger to the public.
The rainfall that accompanied the lightning strikes helped with efforts to put out the fires and dropping the fire danger rating across the southern part of the province, she said.
Lightning strikes occured in Kamloops earlier in the day, with one bolt hitting the roof of a home and prompting a response from Kamloops Fire Rescue. The flames were contained quickly, but crews had to immediately attend another fire at the Barnhartvale dump.
STORMS LIGHT UP SOCIAL MEDIA
The storms made for striking imagery for residents in Surrey, Langley, Chilliwack and Abbotsford, as many took to social media to post their photos and videos.
Source: Global News
