The B.C. Wildfire Service is warning of a “high potential” for new wildfire starts due to a combination of tinder-dry conditions and dry lightning Sunday. There are 102 wildfires burning in the province, and the risk of new blazes breaking out is particularly high in the already hard-hit Okanagan. “New ignitions occurring during periods of hot and dry weather can establish and spread quickly,” an update from the BCWS said. “Of particular concern are smaller fires located in steep terrain where wind and slope alignment can rapidly accelerate fire growth. Fires that appear manageable can transition quickly to higher intensity behaviour under these conditions.” Wildfire smoke has prompted orange air quality warnings in the Okanagan, as well as in other parts of the Interior and southeastern B.C. “Lingering smoke may reduce visibility for responding aircraft and limit the effectiveness of our detection technology, making public reports critical as they are our eyes and ears on the ground,” the BCWS said, urging anyone who sees a wildfire to report it by calling 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on a cellphone. A province-wide state of emergency was declared Saturday, in large part due to the Bald Range wildfire, which forced more than 20,000 people to flee and resulted in what officials described as “significant” structure losses. The RCMP is also investigating a possible fatality as a result of the fire. The state of emergency allows the province to take actions like restricting travel and commandeering hotel accommodations for evacuees. However, none of these actions had been taken as of Sunday afternoon. There are a number of highway closures in effect due to wildfires, and DriveBC is urging people not to rely on Google Maps for the accurate information about local conditions.
