A scorching heat wave in British Columbia is hindering efforts to extinguish a whopping 45 wildfires scattered across the province, including one in the north that is threatening to spread into Alberta.

With current temperatures already about 8 to 10 C above average for this time of year in the B.C. interior, the hot, dry conditions are posing a challenge for firefighters. Officials said Sunday that some of the blazes could take days to contain, sparking concern among residents living in close proximity.

“A small spark will engulf the forests, and we live in the forest … so it’s a very great concern,” said B.C. resident John Denboer.

In northeastern B.C., near the Alberta border, firefighters are battling a massive blaze close to Tumbler Ridge that's about 45-square-kilometres in size.

“It is spreading quite significantly,” Navi Saini, B.C.’s fire information officer told CTV’s News Channel Sunday. “The hot, dry conditions -- with very little rain in the forecast -- are definitely not helping the situation.”

The mercury isn’t expected to offer any immediate relief. Environment Canada says daily temperature highs in the B.C. interior are expected to reach 40 C until at least Thursday.

The fires in B.C. are also threatening to move into Alberta, where firefighters were already working to contain wildfires over the weekend.

Approximately 40 firefighters and five Parks Canada helicopters have been called in to Banff National Park to extinguish a large blaze, dubbed the Spreading Creek Wildfire.

For safety reasons, the province has been forced to close campgrounds, and restrict public access to some areas of the park.

“In the forest around here, given a little bit of wind, fire can move at about 25 metres per minutes, so it’s quite fast,” said Jane Park, the park’s fire and vegetation specialist.

Alberta officials says fires of this size don’t typically start until late August, but already thousands of hectares have been scorched.

In the Northwest Territories, conditions are so bad that firefighting efforts are estimated to cost about $1 million a day.