'Significant and extreme' wildfire risk to northern B.C. likely to spread south, officials warn

British Columbia wildfire officials say the intense and early wildfire onset is posing a "significant and extreme fire" risk in the north that will likely intensify across the south of the province in the coming days.

Starting Thursday, a provincewide open-burning ban will begin, and a campfire ban will apply to the Prince George Fire Region, the B.C. Wildfire Service announced Tuesday.

B.C.'s "core fire season" has started months earlier than usual in some parts of the province, said Cliff Chapman, director of wildfire operations for the B.C. Wildfire Service in a Tuesday news conference in Kamloops.

"We are going to see challenging conditions today and in the coming days," said Chapman. "We really can't afford to have human-caused fires with lightning coming in."

WATCH | Fort St. John mother shares struggle of waiting for evacuation order:

Fort St. John residents watch and wait as wildfires burn near city

2 years ago

Duration 0:46

More than 20,000 people in Fort St. John remain on evacuation alert. Nicole Brodie, a mother of two, lives on Red Creek Road, about 40 kilometres north of Fort St. John. She's holed up at the Super 8 motel with her little girls.

More than 60 active wildfires are burning across the province, including the Stoddart Creek and Red Creek fires near Fort St. John which are considered out of control.

Those wildfires have already driven 1,800 people from their homes and placed an additional 20,000 people on evacuation alerts in the region.

At least 50,000 hectares are burning in the northeast of the province alone, approximately five times the 10-year average for this time of year, Chapman said.

As the high-pressure ridge moves and pushes higher temperatures further south, the risk will increase across the southwest coast and in the southeast.

"I wouldn't be surprised if alerts and orders shift out of the north and into the rest of the province," said Chapman.

Forests Minister Bruce Ralston recognized the challenges of evacuation orders and urged British Columbians to follow the fire bans and to be careful on the upcoming May long weekend.

"Being asked to leave your home or living day-to-day, seeing the smoke and flames and knowing that an order could come at any time is incredibly difficult," said Forests Minister Bruce Ralston from Kamloops. "Wildfires have taken on a new seriousness in the minds of everyone in British Columbia."

WATCH | Evacuation orders issued for northeastern B.C. wildfires:

Wildfires prompt evacuation alerts and orders for B.C. communities

2 years ago

Duration 1:43

An evacuation alert has been issued for the city of Fort St. John a day after the nearby Blueberry First Nation issued its own evacuation order due to wildfires, impacting more than 21,000 people.

Fire crews 'putting in everything we have'

The early appearance of wildfires in B.C. and Alberta is driven by a high-pressure ridge that has shattered heat records in nearly 40 communities on Sunday and Monday.

And while the forecast calls for temperatures to ease a bit and bring more moderate temperatures, the change could increase the risk of lightning.

The intensity of wildfires from July to September now hinges on how much rain falls in June across the province, Chapman said.

Ralston said the province's move to year-round funding for wildfire response has supported an early deployment of crews to the active fires and to patrol the skies for new outbreaks. More than 330 new crews have been hired since last summer, he said.

Chapman said the wildfire service is in a good position with adequate staffing to respond to what may arise in the coming weeks. 

"We are putting in everything we have to suppress these fires and get you back home, or if you are home, to make sure you can stay there," he said, urging British Columbians planning to spend time outdoors to ensure they are not entering an area under evacuation order or alert.

"We are attempting to prepare the province the best we can for what may come this weekend."