The BC Wildfire Service says burning conditions across much of the province are currently three to four weeks ahead of schedule putting regions at 'very high hazard' levels.
Summer this year in B.C. will likely be warmer and dryer than normal, according to one forecast.Along with noting that the Southern Interior received just 30 per cent of its normal June rainfall, the provincial agency said July forecasts “indicate a strong likelihood of warmer and dryer than normal conditions persisting across much of B.C.”As a result of the recent heat dome that baked and dried out much of B.C.
It added that “grass and other surface fuels have been drying quickly, meaning that seasonal ‘green up’ is over for most parts of the province. With fine fuels now well cured, wildfire behaviour will be more typical of mid-July or August conditions.”B.C. wildfires: Kamloops air quality, Lytton evacuee bus tour, Sparks Lake update
The outlook said a trio of factors — dry fuel conditions, lack of June precipitation and a record-breaking heat wave — “have also created the necessary environment for very large fire growth.”Further, it said heightened wildfire activity is expected to persist well into July. “Recent weather and fuel conditions have made initial attack challenging, meaning large fires will likely be occurring throughout the province,” said BC Wildfire.