British Columbia continues to recover from the deadly heat wave. While the record-breaking heat is gone for a long time, vegetation is still parched and a little spark could instantly turn into a raging fire.
Extreme Wildfire Danger
Currently, there are 188 wildfires burning as of Sunday evening. Less intense winds over the next few days could assist in slowing the spread of the fires, but intense winds in the air will support the development of thunderstorm on Monday, which could possibly ignite more wildfires from lightning strikes.
The excessive heat and dry conditions brought about extreme wildfire danger over the past week across Western Canada, with a number of wildfires burning apart from the blaze that engulfed Lytton, B.C., on Wednesday.
The BC Coroners Service made a confirmation that two people died in the blaze in Lytton. However, there is a possibility this number could increase as officials said some people haven't yet been accounted for, mainly because of the quick evacuation of the village.
Also Read: Lytton, the Hottest Place in Canada, Sees an Uprise in Wildfires Triggered by Heat Wave
Officials Prohibits Open Burning and Campfires
Natural Resources Canada anticipates very intense fire danger to continue across much of Interior British Columbia on Monday, with a few regions even getting to extreme fire danger criteria. Roughly 69 per cent of the fires presently burning across B.C. have been brought about by lightning.
For portions of the Interior, multiple evacuation orders and alerts are ongoing. Open burning and campfires are banned across the province to avoid further wildfires from sparking and escalating.
As of Sunday afternoon, the Mckay Creek fire was almost 23,700 hectares while the Sparks Lake fire also referred to as Sparks Creek fire engulfed not less than 36,300 hectares of land by Sunday afternoon.
Widespread smoke emanating from the fires that are out of control will bring about poor quality of air across Interior B.C. Less intense winds over the next couple of days will let the smoke remain in communities close to the fires.
Lightning Strikes Could Begin New Blazes
Meanwhile, strengthening winds in the air will aid thunderstorms development on Monday. This is a piece of bad news for firefighters as lightning strikes brought about by storms could begin new blazes. There is a possibility that thunderstorm risk will persist into Tuesday and Wednesday also.
Thick smoke can cause health issues for people suffering from respiratory issues like asthma. Reduce the time spent outdoors when there is poor quality of air, and put on a tight-fitting mask with high-quality while outside in order to avoid the fine particulates in the smoke from getting into your lungs.
The unusual heat that baked the province earlier in the week made vegetation across the area to dried out, letting small fires escalate into raging infernos within a short time.
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