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B.C. Wildfire officials on alert

Local B.C. Wildfire crews started their week by working on a wildfire east of Tchesinkut Lake, on Seven Mile Road.

Local B.C. Wildfire crews started their week by working on a wildfire east of Tchesinkut Lake, on Seven Mile Road.

The fire was discovered on Sunday afternoon, June 26, and by Monday, June 27, the fire was four hectares in size.

As of Monday, June 27, the Northwest Fire Centre did not consider the fire was a threat to nearby communities. The suspected cause of the fire was lightning.

With the rainy season petering out, provincial officials say rapid drying is expected across B.C. over the next week, meaning the danger of wildfires is expected to soar.

“By the long weekend, we could see some pretty volatile conditions,” said Eric Meyer, superintendent of fire weather for the B.C. Wildfire Service.

He said the northeast and northwest parts of the province, along with the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, are expected to rapidly dry out. Many spots in the western half of the province are “significantly drier” than normal.

Meyer urged people doing activities in the forest to be extra cautious.

“It won’t take much for a fire to get up and start and take off on them.”

What’s unknown is how much precipitation to expect.

“The day-to-day weather beyond these two weeks is really going to drive what the fire potential is for the remainder of the summer,” Meyer said.

According to Haley Williams, Fire Information Officer with the Northwest Fire Centre, it’s too soon to predict what the next few weeks will look like in the northwest.

However, with a chance of lightning in some areas and warm weather, the risk of wildfires will increase over the week. The current fire danger rating for northern areas around Dease Lake and Atlin are moderate to high and the danger rating across the fire centre is likely to increase.

While there are currently no campfire bans or open burning restrictions, the public is asked to help with wildfire prevention by burning responsibly and following open burning regulations.

Meanwhile, the province-wide snow pack is at 13 per cent of normal, still better than the same time last year, when it was at four per cent, according to Dave Campbell, head of the River Forecast Centre.

A hot stretch of weather from late March to early May resulted in a rapid melt-off of the mountain snow pack, he said.

As for possible drought, at least some parts of the province are expected to experience such conditions this summer, said Valerie Cameron, head of the province’s water stewardship program.

“2015 was the most significant drought in recent memory,” Cameron said. “We’re hoping for a better year than we had last year.”

In the event of extremely dry conditions, she added, the province has new legislative powers to regulate water and water use.

The public is asked to report any sightings of wildfires by calling 1-800-663-5555.

- With files from Martin van den Hemel