The B.C. Wildfire Service says lightning caused fires can start up to two weeks after a lightning strike.
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“The reason we are concerned is that there have been so many abandoned campfires in the area this weekend”.
“It is very possible that there was a fire that was burning there underground for awhile and emerged to become a wildfire on the surface”, said fire information officer Max Birkner.
Anyone who leaves a campfire unattended can be fined $1,150.
“If there are a lot of abandoned campfires out there, that can certainly be one of the factors that lead to a campfire prohibition being put in place”. Thunderstorms over the weekend ignited 14 new wildfires in the fire centre, which extends from Wells Gray in the north to the US border and from Lillooet in the west to Salmon Arm in the east. Six other wildfires in the fire centre were believed to have been set by people.
Since April 1, 2016, it has responded to 82 wildfires in the region that have burned 329 hectares with 46 of these fires lightning-caused and 36 are suspected to be human-caused. “Human-caused wildfires are completely preventable and unnecessarily divert firefighting resources away from naturally occurring wildfires”.
With the rain and cooler temperatures, the fire danger ratings aren’t quite as high as this time previous year, sitting at moderate through most of the Thompson-Okanagan.
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To report a wildfire or unattended campfire call *5555 on your cell phone or 1-800-663-5555.
