Drought conditions persist, high fire risk in B.C.

British Columbia remains at a high risk of wildfires as drought conditions are ongoing and not expected to ease any time soon.

“We continue to experience a serious drought that may worsen into the fall or maybe even into the next year,” Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, Bowinn Ma, stated at the drought and wildfire update Thursday, August 10.

“Twenty-eight of B.C.’s 34 water basins are currently at Level 4 or Level 5. While these levels haven’t changed since last week, that’s over 80 per cent of B.C.’s water basins and the situation remains concerning.”

Ma added these conditions are “significant,” especially in comparison to past years.

“For context, this time last year we had maybe a few water basins at Level 2, so hardly any drought condition at all,” Ma stated.

“In 2021, which was largely considered a historic year for droughts, it wasn’t until the end of September that we saw one basin go into Level 5.”

As of August 10, the Okanagan water basin was ranked at Drought Level 4, which indicates that the conditions are likely to have adverse impacts to the socioeconomic and ecological values.

The Nicola, Similkameen and Kettle basins were also Level 4 as of Thursday.

The South Thompson and Salmon River basins north of the Okanagan were ranked Level 5 as of Thursday, which indicated that adverse impacts are almost certain to occur.

Ma said the province is assisting communities facing water scarcity, but also asks that all British Columbians take action to conserve water where possible, even if municipal restrictions are not in place.

“We all have a part to play to build a more resilient province. Let’s commit together to being mindful of our water use, as water is a precious resource, and B.C. is fortunate to have some of the very best water in the world, but every drop counts,” Ma said.

In addition to drought, many communities continue to feel impacts of wildfires burning throughout the province.

“As of 3 p.m. on August 9, there were 660 people under evacuation order [due to wildfires in B.C.], and there were close to 4,000 people under evacuation alert, most of which are in the central and southeast regions of the province,” Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests, said during Thursday’s update, adding Emergency Support Services are being offered in communities affected by the fires to assist people who have been forced to leave their homes.

Ralston said, as of Thursday, there were 399 wildfires active throughout B.C., 11 of which were ‘wildfires of note.’ Included in that classification were the Rossmore Lake wildfire south of Kamloops, and both the Bush Creek and Lower East Adams Lake wildfires north of Chase near Shuswap Lake.

A total of 1,759 wildfires this season have burned 1,584,471 hectares of terrain since April 1. That figure includes the 57,975 hectares burned by 314 fires in the Kamloops Fire Centre.

Ralston noted the cooler, wetter weather this past week has had some positive impacts on the fire suppression efforts underway throughout B.C., but did state the weather forecast calls for above-normal temperatures starting this weekend.

“As our forests dry out, the fire danger will increase,” Ralston said.

“It is vital that we take the necessary steps to remain prepared for a wildfire and that we continue to do our part to prevent human-caused wildfires.”

Those steps include following fire bans, being careful with disposing of cigarette butts and other flammable materials, and being cautious with off-road vehicles and spark-producing machinery.

As firefighting efforts continue to require the use of water bombers, skimmers and helicopters, Ralston reminded lake users and boaters to stay out of the areas where aviation resources are operating.

He added airspace around wildfires are automatically classified as restricted and reminded non-firefighting aircraft, including private planes and drones, to stay clear of those areas.