Even with more than 300 fires raging in B.C., emergency officials confident with current response strategy

KAMLOOPS — Emergency officials say B.C. is about one month ahead of schedule with its fire season and B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) resources are being stretched to the limit. Even so, officials say they are confident that their approach is keeping lives and homes safe.

In a news conference Thursday (July 15), Manager of Wildfire Operations Kurtis Isfeld said nearly 1,100 fires have been ignited in B.C. since April 1, burning 203,000 hectares of ground. Both of those figures are several times higher than normal for this time of year.

As of Thursday, there are 309 active fires in B.C. — and 2,500 firefighters battling them. Isfeld said that means not every new start will get attention.

“With the current resource challenges that we have, we are unable to commit to all new ignitions,” Isfeld said, “which means our focus, at this point, is on allocating those resources to values of life and safety.”

Twenty-seven fires are elevated to ‘Wildfires of Note’ status. Emergency Management B.C. noted there are 30 evacuation orders in place in B.C. affecting more than 2,800 properties. Additionally, 51 evacuation alerts cover more than 10,000 properties.

There are 115 firefighters in B.C. from outside of the province, but Isfeld notes many areas of Canada and the U.S. are experiencing similar hot and dry conditions, meaning those jurisdictions are reluctant to send firefighters to B.C.

“We’re comfortable right now that the fires that are of top priority — the ones that are affecting communities, major transportation corridors, power lines — are ones that we have our resources on,” said Rob Schweitzer, director of wildfire operations. “We’ll continue to focus on that.”

In the broader Kamloops region, one of the wildfires that showed the most proportional growth Thursday was the Tremont Creek wildfire east of Ashcroft.

BCWS says that fire is now measured at 2,000 hectares. Crews battling the blaze have been challenged by gusty winds that are making conditions unsafe for firefighting activities.

The Sparks Lake fire northwest of Kamloops, the largest in the province, now measures nearly 45,000 hectares, with active fire behaviour on the southeast and southwest flanks.

Near Whitecroft, the Embleton Mountain fire remains steady at 516 hectares and is not an immediate threat to properties.

To the north, the Flat Lake wildfire southwest of 100 Mile House is now measured at 8,725 hectares and is burning east toward Highway 97. Even so, officials deemed it safe to reopen the main route through the South Cariboo Thursday.

The Chasm wildfire near 70 Mile House is now measured at 200 hectares.