A thunderstorm Monday afternoon caused 16 new fires in the Prince George Fire Centre region.
"All 16 fires are believed to be have been caused by lightning, with the largest covering 20 hectares," said fire centre spokeswoman Jillian Chimko. "Air patrols will occur today [Tuesday] and crews will move into areas of concern. None of the fires are threatening any structures at this time."
Since Apr. 1, fire crews have responded to 87 wildfires in the Prince George Fire Centre area (roughly the northeastern quarter of the province), with a provincial total of 234 wildfires.
The lightning storm was not the reason a local unit crew was halted from deploying to wildfires in Ontario. The Ontario government had asked for 81 more firefighters from B.C., with 19 set to go from Vanderhoof and Prince George. This province has already dispatched 102 to Ontario and 299 to Quebec this spring, but the Ontario conditions calmed so much on Monday that the flight scheduled for today was called off.
No area of the province is left without adequate forestry firefighting resources if any are dispatched to another jurisdiction, said Chimko.
The danger rating is listed as high for the surrounding Prince George forests and also in the Peace. The public is urged to be careful with any heat source, and strictly adhere to the burning restrictions in place by both the provincial government and bylaws of local government (regional district or municipality, depending on your location).
"We have some warming trends, we have lightning in the forecast, so we are anticipating some fires in the days ahead," Chimko said.
For the latest information on fire activity, conditions and prohibitions in B.C., visit: www.bcwildfire.ca.
Report a wildfire or unattended campfire by calling 1-800-663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cellphone.
