The very weather many in B.C. lament is what’s needed now more than ever.
There is next to no rain in the forecast for most of the province until at least Aug. 22, and even what little amounts may fall will have little impact on the 550-plus wildfires choking B.C.
In a media call Friday afternoon, B.C. Wildfire Service spokesperson Kevin Skrepnek offered little in the way of good news for the upcoming weekend.
Winds throughout central B.C. are expected to pick up, which will only exacerbate huge fires burning near Prince George and Burns Lake. The Kootenay town of Kimberley was the subject of an evacuation alert Thursday night.
Closer to home, there’s a chance of isolated patches of lighting across southern parts of the province over the next 72 hours as well.
“It could be a few strikes here and there,” Skrepnek said. “But quite frankly, given the conditions we have right now and given the fact that that lighting is looking to be dry, there is almost a virtual guarantee that those are going to start new fires as well.”
Metro Vancouver’s air quality was vastly better Friday, due to westerly winds that blew in from the Pacific Ocean. Those winds are expected to continue until Sunday.
Measured on a sliding scale of one to 10, air quality in parts of Vancouver were registering as low as three.
Similar measurements in the corridor from Smithers to Prince George are 10-plus. Apocalyptic photos emerged from Prince George Friday morning, showing the city completely covered in black by 9 a.m.
Fourteen new fires were burning Friday morning, upping to overall tally to 556 across B.C. More than 430,000 hectares of land have caught fire since April 1, which amounts to $242 million in firefighting costs alone.
“That is a number [of fires] that is fluctuating almost minute by minute as new fires start and we get other fires put out,” Skrepnek said.
Canadian military intervention has begun, with 200 personnel deployed to the area around Kamloops and Merritt, along with helicopters and planes stationed in Comox and Smithers. The RCMP has about 200 officers and civilian staff devoted to the inferno as well.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry stressed the need to stay indoors while the smoke persists, and seek out clean air in places such as libraries, community centres and shopping malls. That warning applies specifically to those with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pregnant women, infants and the elderly.
Even the healthiest people among us are warned to avoid prolonged exertion outside and instead get that workout done indoors when possible.
“Smoke is really dynamic, and it’s changing rapidly and it comes and goes both in space and in time,” Henry said.
Skrepnek said weather and wind patterns across B.C. could change by Wednesday. Some light rain is expected in the southeast, though nowhere near enough to contain the flames. He suggested the fire season will persist for weeks moving forward, until prolonged, major rainfalls begin.
“At this point looking at that weather outlook, [there is] no major rain in sight. Nothing that would really put a dent in the situation that we’re seeing right now — definitely bracing for the situation to continue for the weeks ahead.”
