Hot dry weather combined with a rash of lightning strikes are behind most of the 23 new fires that erupted in the Prince George Fire Centre over a 48-hour period late last week.
As of Saturday, none of fires were threatening any communities but seven were person-caused and therefore preventable, Fire Centre information officer Elise Reidlinger said in a bulletin.
The largest is a 150-hectare blaze at Morkhill Creek, about 40 kilometres northwest of McBride.
"The fire is not threatening any values and is located in an area with limited access; however, wildfire management branch personnel will continue to monitor it closely," Reidlinger said.
Further south, a lightning-caused fire in a hard-to-reach area of Tweedsmuir Park had grown to an estimated 500 hectares by Saturday afternoon.
"B.C. Forest Service personnel are working in conjunction with B.C. Parks to establish trigger points and monitor the fire's activity.," Cariboo Fire Centre information officer Grace Pickell said in a bulletin. "Crews are assessing access to the fire and will action the fire as necessary to keep the fire within these trigger points. This strategy ensures the fire burns within a designated area, allowing the natural benefits of fire ecology to occur."
A total of 15 fires erupted in that fire centre's territory over Thursday and Friday.
"While the majority of these fires were small spot fires under one hectare, they exemplify how quickly fire activity can increase with above average temperatures drying out fuels," Pickell said.
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