B.C. wildfire tally surges past 100 as lightning transforms fire season in a flash

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District on Friday ordered the evacuation of 131 properties near Big Bar Lake and Meadow Lake due to the Fiftynine Creek fire, which has also prompted an evacuation alert for the nearby Bonaparte Plateau.

Jim Smith, who represents the evacuated area at the regional district, says the fire grew very quickly because of the strong winds in the area.

“It wasn’t long in between the (evacuation) alert and the order,” he says. “The fire just roared right up to Big Bar Lake. So we are expecting that there is going to be structural loss, but we are not sure at this time.”

Smith says most of the evacuated properties lie on the northern side of the lake, with a few ranches and farms in the area.

“There is a fair amount of livestock, and I believe they started moving as soon as the alert was on,” Smith says.

The Cariboo Regional District triggered an evacuation due to the Bowers Lake fire overnight Friday, as well as an alert for the Lessard Lake fire.

Earlier this week, fire officials warned of a weather system bringing lightning and ideal conditions for both starting and spreading significant fires on B.C.’s parched landscape.

The Fiftynine Creek fire, for example, was only detected on Friday, but by that evening had grown to about 40 square kilometres.

An update from the wildfire service on Friday said that as the weather system moved into Alberta, officials anticipated more lightning strikes “and, in the coming days, more fire starts.”

More than 500 firefighters have been called in to fight fires across the province.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 18, 2026.

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

B.C. wildfire tally surges past 100 as lightning transforms fire season in a flash

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