B.C drought conditions leading to increased wildfire risk

Ongoing drought conditions throughout B.C. are already causing elevated wildfire risks, forecasting bad news for this year’s summer battle.

Ongoing drought conditions across B.C. could be bad news for the summer wildfire fight.

Several regions are already showing elevated risk, but a change in weather could yield different results.

Richard Carr, a fire analyst with Natural Resources Canada, says conditions are not as dry as they were in 2024, but they are still concerning.

“It can be quite dry and quite windy, so those factors could of course lead to wildfires and wildfire spread,” he says.

Carr says his agency’s forecast shows a potential for yet another active wildfire season, though many parts of B.C. have seen more precipitation compared to 2024.

“Theres’s a couple models suggesting fairly dry conditions for a lot of Western Canada over summer, but precipitation is hard to predict,” he says. “So, you know, it’s really a bit of a toss up.”

The forecast map shows the potential for a dangerous fire season in July and August, but the B.C. Wildfire Service says it is prepared.

“We always prepare for the worst fire season possible as best as we can,” says Taylor Colman, a fire information officer for the BCWS.

“We don’t assume that its going to be a good or easy season,”

Colman adds the wildfire service is already paying close attention to certain areas of the province.

“We are watching the Prince George fire centre and Cariboo fire centre, particularly, with the drought, but otherwise throughout the province things are stable at this point,” he says.

The drier conditions also mean active fires could be more severe.

“If we have a very intense drought, the organic material in the ground is dried out,” says Carr. “That can lead to more intense fires, because you just have that much more material available for combustion.”

The province is urging people to use caution as a combination of warm, dry conditions and strong winds moves over the southern part of the province, raising the wildfire risk.

A statement from the Forests Ministry says the B.C. Wildfire Service is asking people to postpone any open burning until the windy conditions pass, and to use extra care for any backcountry camping.

With files from The Canadian Press