Photo: BC Forest Fire Info - Siphon Creek wildfire

So far this year, B.C. forest firefighters have responded to 224 wildfires, more than double the amount this time last year and 100 more than the 10-year average for this time of year.

Fire information officer Ryan Turcot says more than 40,000 hectares of B.C. have already burned this year, substantially above average.

“Last year at this time 802 hectares had burned, and the 10-year average would have been 1,444 hectares for this time,” says Turcot.

Across the province, there are currently 78 fires burning, 52 of which are within the Prince George Fire Centre and the vast majority of which were human caused.

“Given the high degree of fire activity across B.C. and Western Canada, we are urging people to be abundantly cautious with any use of open fire,” says Turcot. “Even one human-caused wildfire is one too many.”

He says seven new fires started in the province on Saturday, but weather is helping their efforts.

“Across the province we are seeing cooler and unsettled conditions today. In the Peace Region, today’s forecast is calling for a cloudy day with a chance of showers and we are expecting winds in the afternoon in that area,” says Turcott.

“Starting tomorrow and looking ahead, we are anticipating a return to a warmer-drying trend across the province.”

There are currently three ‘wildfires of note’ across the province, all located in the Peace Region.

The Siphon Creek wildfire is estimated at 29,625 hectares on the B.C. side of the border and 12,000 on the Alberta side, while the Beatton Airport Road fire is currently sitting at 15,000 hectares.

Evacuation orders for all those fires were downgraded to evacuation alerts today following favourable weather in the area.

Concerns have been raised about the lack of campfire bans in the province, given the dry conditions, but personnel say a campfire ban is not yet in the works.

“When we put in campfire prohibitions it is not a decision we take lightly,” says fire information officer Emily Epp.

“We are continuously accessing the information to determine if that will be necessary. However, at this point of time, we are finding that the problems with these human-caused fires have not been campfires. The majority have been caused from open burning.”

Turcot says the BC Wildfire Service will be at 100 per cent capacity tomorrow following the completion of the last firefighter training boot camp.

While fire crews are concerned with the pattern this year so far, they say this pattern does not necessarily mean the rest of year will be any worse than normal.

“We are taking the current situation quite seriously. The BC Wildfire Service is prepared for the worst, but hoping for the best,” says Turcot.

“We’ve certainly seen an earlier and active start to the wildfire season, but that is not necessarily an indication that the rest of the season will be as active. It will depend on the amount of precipitation we see in the late spring that is going to be a better indicator of how active the core of the wildfire season is.”

A stern warning is also being reiterated by the BC Wildfire Service to drone operators to keep their drones grounded anywhere near wildfires.