B.C. could see ‘active’ spring wildfire season: officials

Hotter, drier summers have become the norm in B.C., and this year, that trend is projected to continue. Rob Buffam explains.

Persistent drought conditions in parts of B.C. have the potential to lead to an “active” spring wildfire season, officials said in an update Thursday.

Representatives from the B.C. Wildfire Service and River Forecast Centre were joined by several ministers at a news conference to provide an overview of seasonal risks and to remind people to be prepared for fires, flooding, and drought.

Matt MacDonald, a forecaster with the wildfire service, stressed that the amount of precipitation in the province over the coming weeks and months will play a crucial part in determining just how severe the season will be.

“As much as we’d love to tell you what’s going to happen in August and September, there’s just no way we can do that,” he said.

There have been a “handful” of wildfires in recent weeks, MacDonald said, adding that early season fires tend to burn “fine fuels” like grass and can spread quickly and that these fires are more likely to be human caused.

The amount of spring precipitation will also determine flood risk, given that rainfall combined with snowmelt can cause rivers, streams and lakes to rise. On the other hand, too little precipitation could create or compound drought conditions.

“We can’t really predict precipitation with any sense of skill,” Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Randene Neill said.

“A lot of this is guessing, a lot of this is wait and see.”

British Columbians are being advised to make sure they have accurate and up-to-date information throughout the season, and to ensure they have a grab-and-go bag and emergency plan ready.

Last year’s wildfire season was “less destructive” in B.C. than in previous years but still saw more than 880,000 hectares scorched, according to a summary from the province.

There were 42 evacuation orders, and 91 alerts affecting nearly 10,000 properties.

“Despite seeing fewer hectares burned in B.C. in 2025 than in 2024 or 2023 and less need for out-of-province resource support, it’s important to consider the bigger picture and longer-term trends,” the province’s summary of the 2025 season said, adding “climate change is accelerating the scale of wildfire impacts on the land base.”

The cost of fighting wildfires last year was $510 million, according to the province.