More than 300 fires burn in B.C. after volatile weekend
More than 300 wildfires are burning across B.C. after a volatile weekend that saw hundreds of people told to leave their homes and lightning strikes starting new burns throughout the B.C. Interior.
On Monday, the BC Wildfire Service warned of hot, dry and windy conditions, with thunderstorms expected in northern and some southern parts of the province, further fuelling the flames.
CANADA'S WILDFIRES: Visit The Weather Network's wildfire hub to keep up with the latest on the active wildfire season across Canada.
"The forecasted wind has the potential to increase fire behaviour on any wildfires currently burning and new starts could grow quickly," the service said.
(Spencer Stratton via CBC)
Historic gold rush town evacuated
On Sunday, the historic gold mining town of Barkerville — the centre of the Cariboo Gold Rush of the 1860s, which helped shape the province of British Columbia — was ordered evacuated due to the threat of the rapidly growing Antler Creek wildfire.
Located about 180 kilometres southeast of Prince George, Barkerville is the largest living history museum in North America.
That same fire also forced the evacuation of the Bowron Lake provincial park canoe circuit and the artistic enclave of Wells, impacting up to 1,000 residents, tourists and temporary workers, according to Mayor Ed Coleman.
RELATED: Thousands remain on evacuation alert in B.C. due to wildfires
Fallen tree sparks fire in Williams Lake
Farther south, the city of Williams Lake, B.C., home to more than 10,000 people, ordered a local state of emergency Sunday night after a fire broke out along Mackenzie Avenue, which is a strip of businesses and industry. The city's emergency operations centre said the fire was sparked after a tree fell on power lines.
District of Wells Mayor Ed Coleman said the fire is only about five kilometres from the historic town of Barkerville. St. Saviour's Anglican Church in Barkerville pictured above as wildfire smoke cast a pall over the town. (BC Wildfire Service)
Locals posted photos and video of water bombers flying low over the neighbourhood on Sunday evening, and by midnight Mayor Surinderpal Rathor confirmed residents who had been "tactically evacuated" from their homes were allowed to return.
In a Monday morning update posted to Facebook, Rathor said that the fire was still burning in the city's river valley "and making its way up the far side." He also said part of an "unoccupied structure" had been lost.
Fire near Spences Bridge expected to grow
Other wildfires of note include the Shetland Creek fire, last measured at 200 square kilometres, which has put thousands of people on alert in the Ashcroft area west of Kamloops after forcing evacuations on Friday, and the Aylwin Creek and Komonko Creek fires which have forced hundreds of people to be asked to leave the area in the central Kootenays.
Heat warning, thunderstorm watch
Meanwhile, the province has extended heat warnings for much of the province's Interior and north, warning of temperatures in the 30s during the day and the high teens overnight, while Environment Canada is forecasting continued smoky skies for the same regions.
Sunday saw more than 20,000 lightning strikes, according to the BC Wildfire Service and Monday could see more of the same with storms expected in all parts of the province except Vancouver Island and the South Coast.
WATCH: B.C. resident shares concerns over increasing heat and wildfire threat
Thumbnail courtesy of Spencer Stratton via CBC.
The story was originally written by and published for CBC News on July 22, 2024.
