Rain helps lower wildfire risk in parts of B.C.

Rain helps lower wildfire risk in parts of B.C.

'Much of the province benefited from the cooler temperatures and rainfall,' says BCWS spokesperson

Rainy weather is helping lower the wildfire risk in some parts of B.C., but moderate risk remains for the province's Interior as summer approaches. The Fraser Canyon, Chilcotin, the Peace region and the South Thompson saw their fire risk level lowered from either high or extreme to moderate by the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) on June 6. "Much of the province benefited from the cooler temperatures and rainfall. The Peace region retained some pockets of high fire danger in areas that didn’t receive much for precipitation, but overall there was a decrease," said BCWS information officer Taylor Colman. "If we continue to see weather patterns consisting of a few days of warm and dry conditions followed by a few days of rain and cooling, that’ll continue to help moderate wildfire risk."

The wildfire service cautioned that the weather remains unpredictable, and prolonged periods of warm temperatures and a lack of rain could dry out fuels and increase fire risk into the summer.

In the Interior, following a dry and warm spring, the wildfire risk remains moderate for most of the area.

"The severity of wildfires in July and August will largely depend on the amount and frequency of precipitation we see throughout June," Colman said. "But certainly in the short term, the rain is helping keep the vegetation and fuels hydrated, reducing how easily wildfires can ignite and spread."

Since April 1, the Kamloops Fire Centre has had 67 wildfires, with nearly nine square kilometres burned. In the same period, there have been 281 wildfires in the province, slightly higher than the 10-year average of 255. However, the BCWS noted 42 square kilometres have burned this year whereas the 10-year average over the same time period is just over 1,300 square kilometres.

Updated wildfire information can be found on the B.C. Wildfire Service interactive map.

Dale Boyd grew up in Alberta where he started his career as a reporter before moving to the South Okanagan where he has been a newspaper editor, court and crime reporter and a longtime volunteer in the local music and arts community.