Firefighters in British Columbia are expecting a wind event today that could cause some of the 270 fires currently burning to get up and run.
From CTV.ca:
With high winds Thursday expected to fan more than 270 wildfires burning across B.C., fire officials are bracing for another day of difficult conditions.
Residents have been asked to stay out of the B.C. backcountry and hundreds of homes have already been evacuated, as a cold front is expected to deliver high winds that could worsen the situation.
“Strong winds will fuel existing fires and lightning may spark new fires. In addition, strong winds may prevent air operations and heavy smoke may impair the ability of ground crews to respond,” said a statement from the B.C. Wildfire Management Branch website.
Officials will be keeping a close eye Thursday on the weather in an area south of Prince George, near Williams Lake, said Stephen Waugh, emergency program co-ordinator for the Central Coast Regional District.
“The hardest hit areas seem to be in the Cariboo Chilcotin region where there were extreme fires burning before these winds arrived. So the morning will tell us how things are looking in that region,” Waugh told CTV’s Canada AM from Bella Coola.
The latest evacuation orders affect residents near Meldrum Creek, Meldrum East Fraser, Soda Creek/Williams Lake, McLeese Lake and Westwick Lakes, according to a statement posted Wednesday on the district’s website.
Waugh said hot, dry weather and high winds are a bad mix.
“Our forest minister described it as perfect firestorm conditions,” he said. “When you have fires burning aggressively already and then have high winds on top of them it really does make things difficult for fire crews, and many were pulled off yesterday for safety reasons.”
Thanks Dick
