Experts warn heavy winds in forecast could exacerbate B.C. wildfire situation

Wildfires continue to rage across the country, including in B.C., fueled by drought and warmer temperatures.

Wildfires continue to rage across the country, including in B.C., fuelled by drought and warmer temperatures.

The B.C. Wildfire Service says more heat in the forecast – along with heavy winds – may threaten local firefighting efforts.

There are currently 69 active wildfires burning across the province, 52 of which are classified as “out of control,” including some that were sparked over the weekend.

“New starts from that lightning activity on Sunday into today could also result in new starts again, particularly in that northern part of the Prince George fire centre or the Fort Nelson fire zones,” explained Sarah Budd, a fire information officer.

Among the ongoing wildfires is the Kiskatinaw Creek blaze in northeastern B.C., just south of Dawson Creek, where an evacuation order that forcing dozens to flee their homes last week remains in place.

The Peace River Regional District said emergency support services for the Kelly Lake area have been extended by seven days, to June 8, “out of an abundance of caution based on recommendations from B.C. Wildfire Service due to uncertain fire conditions.”

The service has added a second blaze in northern B.C. to its list of so-called wildfires of note, saying the Summit Lake fire has forced the closure of a stretch of Highway 97, also known as the Alaska Highway, west of Fort Nelson.

The wildfire service says human activity is the suspected cause of the 21-square-kilometre blaze that was discovered last Wednesday.

Lori Daniels, chair in Wildfire Co-existence at UBC, said the current weather conditions are also re-igniting earlier fires.

“We also have holdover fires, fires that started two years ago in May 2023 and are still burning. As it becomes warm and dry again in the spring, they pop back up into the surface and they’re contributing to the early start to the fire season here in B.C.,” Daniels said.

She’s concerned for what’s to come – and is preparing for another devastating wildfire season this summer.

“It is worrisome. This early fire season in 2025 is feeling very reminiscent of the 2023 fire season, which proved to be a record-breaking fire season across all of Canada,” Daniels said.

Lightning is confirmed as the cause of the Kiskatinaw Creek fire, where crews anticipate increased fire behavior in the coming days.

B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said the province is ready.

“2023 was the worst wildfire season on record, over 2 million hectares burned, and we need to do our part to make sure we are better prepared,” Parmar said.

Risk ‘quite great’ for high-activity fires

Sophie Wilkinson, an assistant professor at Simon Fraser University in resource and environmental management, is also closely watching the wildfire season unfold, and is concerned for this summer.

“It’s not a great indication that we are seeing such an early uptick in fire activity, especially with this being across so many provinces,” said Wilkinson. “It’s really indicative that the fuels on the ground are especially dry and vulnerable to fire.”

Wilkinson said the drought conditions over the past few years have exacerbated fire behavior, and at this point, rainfall might not even provide much relief.

“Even if we do get precipitation, it often co-occurs with lightning and lightning is one of our biggest ignition sources – and so the risk of these sorts of high activity fires to continue is quite great,” she said.

Daniels said the situation should serve as a reminder for people to be proactive and fire smart.

Residents should “get our houses and yards ready for fire season” and “think ahead with those proactive activities that we can do,” Daniels said.

The province is urging British Columbians to check Fire Smart BC for guidance in preparing for a wildfire event.

“I think it’s really important that all of us realize that almost half of fires, that start both in B.C. and across Canada, are started by people,” Daniels added. “So those are preventable fires.”

With files from The Canadian Press