Lightning strikes down but more heat primes wildfires in B.C.: wildfire service

A helicopter flies by the Wesley Ridge wildfire near Cameron Lake where an out-of-control fire continues to burn near Coombs, B.C., Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

The BC Wildfire Service says there were just 74 lightning strikes on Labour Day compared with thousands that peppered the province and sent fire numbers soaring in the last days of August. 

The number of wildfires has jumped in the last week from 70 to almost 170, with most of the out-of-control blazes burning in the southern Interior. 

In the B.C. Interior, the Cariboo Regional District and the Ulkatcho First Nation have jointly issued an evacuation order for 150 land parcels in the area of the Beef Trail Creek wildfire, some 350 kilometres west of Williams Lake.

Residents have been told to evacuate immediately to Williams Lake to escape the lightning-triggered wildfire that is 2,771 hectares in size.

The evacuation order covers almost 87,000 hectares of rural and sparsely populated land.

Environment Canada has posted heat warnings for several locations, saying temperatures of up to 35 C are expected in the Fraser Canyon, the Boundary region, the North and South Thompson and the North Coast.

However, the wildfire service says winds will be generally light, which will help minimize the spread of the current fires burning. 

Smoke is expected to increase, with the thickest density over Prince George and Williams Lake, and the service says there will also be a haze over much of southern B.C. 

Almost 600 firefighting personnel remain at work this week and the wildfire service says as fuels remain dry, people are urged to use caution during any activity that could start a wildfire. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 2, 2025.