British Columbia's wildland firefighters are predicting a busy fire season in parts of the province, particularly in the northeast where multiple evacuation orders are already in place and fires have been growing rapidly.
Neal McLoughlin, superintendent of predictive services for the 小蓝视频 Wildfire Service, said that while spring rainfall and normal temperatures have alleviated some concern, the likelihood of an active season is growing in regions experiencing persistent drought, including the southwestern Interior, the Chilcotin and the far northwest.
"But the northeast is the region of greatest concern, and will experience continued fire activity through the summer, given their multi-year drought conditions and presence of overwintering fires that have shown up this spring," he told a news conference Monday.
McLoughlin said the amount of rain required to mitigate risk in areas of persistent drought isn't on the way.
"We would need upwards of 150 millimetres of rain over the next three weeks to really make a dent in some of those high drought levels. We'd be looking at multiple days of 20 to 30 millimetres of rain, and we're just not seeing that in the outlook," he said.
David Campbell, head of the province's river forecast centre, told reporters that the northeast is experiencing Level 3 and 4 droughts, the highest level of severity.
"We've really seen a cumulative lack of rainfall over the last one to two years, and that's really been a key driver in terms of ongoing and persistent drought in those regions," he said.
Minister of Emergency Management Kelly Greene said at the news conference that 10 evacuation orders were in place, affecting approximately 120 households in the Peace River Regional District, Fort Nelson First Nation and Northern Rockies Regional Municipality.
Greene encouraged British Columbians to be prepared for emergencies this summer by gathering together things including several days of food and water, medications and important paperwork.
"'I'm asking everyone to have a plan in place now, before there's an emergency. Now is the time to make sure you have your grab-and-go bag ready for you and your family, including any pets," she said.
Statements from the wildfire service said crews were preparing for "extreme fire behaviour" in the northeastern region as a second dry cold front was forecast to move through.
In summaries posted online Monday, the service said wind gusts up to 80km/hr were expected in some areas, which could fan the flames and cause growth in the region.
It would be the second cold front to pass through the Fort Nelson area, with the first on Sunday causing increased fire behaviour.
The warning comes after the Pocket Knife Creek wildfire formed over the weekend, quickly growing into a wildfire of note, one of three in 小蓝视频's northeast.
That blaze is the result of two fires merging, and the service reported that it spanned more than 610 square kilometres and had triggered three evacuation orders, the latest Monday afternoon.
The wildfire service warned drivers that Highway 97 would remain closed north of Fort Nelson until Monday evening due to the Summit Lake Fire, another fire of note.
It had grown to about 190 square kilometres in size and the service said the incoming cold front may cause it to spread further. It said the fire "is burning through challenging and rugged terrain with very limited natural barriers or breaks in fuel continuity."
The Kiskatinaw River is the third fire of note in the province, now listed at 216 square kilometres after the wildfire service said it grew significantly Sunday night.
There are currently more than 80 fires burning across the province, with more than half listed as burning out of control.
The fires have prompted Environment Canada to issue a special air quality statement for the northeastern region, saying smoke is causing poor air quality and reduced visibility.
That statement, which covers Fort Nelson and the Peace River area, says conditions are expected to persist for the next 24 to 48 hours.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2025.
Brieanna Charlebois and Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press
