VANCOUVER — More than 100 new forest fires are starting each day in B.C.’s forests, and the province has already burned through double its average firefighting budget, officials say.

Thousands of homes have been evacuated as the fires threaten communities throughout southern British Columbia and an area at least 32 times the size of Stanley Park.

Hot, dry weather mixed with lightning storms has pushed the fire risk up to critical levels in 85 per cent of the province, fire information officer Radha Fisher said on Monday.

“The conditions are prime for fires,” Fisher said.

“We have seen big fire seasons in the past and we are seeing one now.”

In an average fire season, which runs from April to October, there are 1,200 fires by the first week of August, according to statistics from the past seven years. This year, there have already been 2,200 fires.

Between 500 and 700 fires are burning in the province on any given day, Fisher said, with 100 to 150 new ones starting each day.

On Sunday, for example, 100 fires began, most ignited by lightning and a handful caused by humans.

On Monday afternoon, another fire broke out on Blackcomb Mountain. It spread to 10 hectares in an area called Ruby Bowl, about one kilometre up the slope from last week’s Crystal Ridge fire, said Mike McCulley, a provincial fire information officer. Helicopters were battling the blaze, and air tankers were expected to help out.

The increase in fires has boosted firefighting costs to $110 million so far this year, Fisher said. That’s up from the average of $50 million a year, based on the past seven years.

One thousand provincial firefighters are battling the blazes across the province, with the help of 800 out-of-province fire fighters. Another 750 people are contracted by the province to cool hot spots and patrol fires. Dozens of helicopters, aircraft and heavy equipment are also spread throughout the provinces as needed.

Another 1,000 people are working behind the scenes as fire information officers and incident managers.

And the fire season is far from over.

"Some fires don't go out until the snow flies," Fisher said. "We are going to control them where we can, but some of these fires will only be put out by Mother Nature."

In 2003, the last extraordinary fire year, August was the peak month for fires said Fisher.

August 2009 has started with a vengeance.

At least 4,850 British Columbians are staying in hotels, schools, or with friends after forest fires forced them from their homes.

The 3,333-hectare Mount McLean fire forced 2,300 Lillooet residents from their homes on Sunday night after the section of fire threatening the town grew from 100 hectares to 300 hectares. Neighbouring first nations communities of Bridge River and Kayoosh First Nations have also been evacuated.

The fire, which is burning within a kilometre of the closest home, is being fuelled by hectares of dry timber, said fire information officer Garry Horley.

“I was watching on the hill last night and every once in a while there’d just be a huge ball of flame. It was just like it exploded,” Horley said. “It was just phenomenal.”