VICTORIA — There are currently 136 wildfires burning in British Columbia.
Of those, the BC Wildfire Service says 33 are burning in the Prince George Fire Centre.
There are also nine wildfires of note. Three of those are in the Prince George Fire Centre, including:
Beatton River (G81007) is approximately 3,400 hectares in size and is suspected lightning caused.
G91020 (Alaska Highway) is estimated at 2,856 hectares and is suspected lightning caused.
G80997 is estimated at 6,000 hectares in size and is lightning caused. It is located north of the Buckinghorse River, adjacent to Highway 97 North in the Pink Mountain area.This is an interface fire and an evacuation alert is in effect for the following area: Peace River Regional District Electoral Area ‘B’
“There was precipitation in the area of these fires last night which has helped reduce fire intensity to the point that crews are now able to engage. We currently have a unit crew on the Beatton River fire and a unit crew on G90997 today,” says the PG Fire Centre.
The BC Wildfire says there were 12,000 lightning strikes Thursday in B.C. with more lightning expected in the south eastern part of the province today.
They also say that above average temperatures are expected to persist for the next week with more wind expected.
A total of 1,362 homes have been evacuated due to fires and 950 are on evacuation alert.
The BC Coroners Service confirmed that the fire in Lytton claimed two lives but say they are unable to search for more possible fatalities until the evacuation order for the village has been lifted.
