Dry conditions raise wildfire risk in B.C. this fall: officials

An expert with the BC Wildfire Service says relentless drought conditions for much of British Columbia have set the stage for more fire activity this fall.

Neal McLoughlin, superintendent of predictive services, says "aggressive fire behaviour" is ongoinginnorthernB.C., and wildfires there are expected to remain active possibly into next spring.

He says slightly warmer and drier-than-normalconditionsare expected across most ofB.C. untilthemiddle of October, withtheexception ofthenorthwest and coastal regions, which are forecast to get cooler and wetter weather.

McLoughlin says that whiletheamount of new lightning-caused wildfires is expected to decreaseinthecoming weeks,dryforests and grasslands remain a concern because they are highly susceptible to ignition.

Noting that 90 per cent of lightning starts generally happen before September, he is reminding people to stay vigilant asthemajority of blazes thisfallwill be human-caused.

Theservice reports 74 per cent ofthenearly 1,600 fire starts this year were caused by lightning, while 25 per cent were set off by humans.

McLoughlin saysB.C. has averaged about 250,000 lightning strikes a year forthelast two decades, but there were 190,000 this year.

"Although we've seen less lightning this year, more of it has translated into lightning-caused fire," he told a news conference Thursday. "Thefuels are more receptive, and there's a higher efficiency of lightning and causing firesinthose areas."

McLoughlin says this fire season is ranked fourth for most area burnedintheprovince's history, adding that multiyear droughtconditionswill continue acrossB.C., most notablyinthenortheast and Bulkley Lakes regions.

Forests Minister Bruce Ralston toldthenews conference that more than 200 wildfires are still burning acrossB.C. That includesthehuman-caused Kikomunwildfirenear Baynes Lake that forced evacuation orders and alerts for more than 50 properties earlier this week, he noted.

"Because of this swift response,theevacuation order has now been rescinded, andthefire is now listed as under control," he said oftheactions of BCWildfireService crews.

Bowinn Ma,B.C.'s emergency management minister, says noB.C. residents remain under evacuation alert or order, and no properties are under evacuation order.

She says about 130 properties are on an evacuation alert, but they are not believed to be primary residences.