The Canadian Press

By Canadian Press

summer dangers not over

Lightning sparks new wildfires in B.C., as number of active blazes near 160

Sep 1, 2025 | 2:40 PM

VANCOUVER — The BC Wildfire Service says there were more than 1,000 more lightning strikes across the province on Sunday, most of which happened in the Cariboo region.

That comes after nearly 4,400 lightning strikes were recorded across B.C. on Friday and Saturday, mostly in the Cariboo and Coastal regions.

The service is reporting around 160 active blazes across the province as of Monday, which marks an increase from about 130 reported late Sunday.

It says about 75 per cent of those fires are lightning-caused.

Its latest situational report says the increase in lightning over the weekend makes it likely that more wildfires will be detected in the coming days.

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The service says a record-breaking 10-day heat wave, with temperatures 5 to 6 degrees above seasonal norms, has also left fuels highly susceptible to ignition.

It says another day of thunderstorms is anticipated across the southern Interior, with the Southeast region continuing to be a hotspot for lightning.

The service says lightning accompanied by rain is also forecast for the Coastal Fire Centre, which continues to pose a risk of dry lightning.

It says the Northeast and Cariboo regions are also still coping with thick smoke.

Environment Canada has issued a special air quality statement over swaths of B.C. due to the wildfire smoke. That includes the B.C. South Peace River, Chilcotin, Fort Nelson, McGregor, Prince George, the Cariboo and the inland sections of the Central Coast.

It says those conditions are expected to persist for the next 24 to 48 hours.

The weather office also issued a heat warning for the Fraser Canyon, South Thompson, as well as the on the inland sections of the North Coast, with unseasonably high temperatures expected to persist in those areas until mid-week.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2025.

The Canadian Press