Wildfires have ignited early in the central Interior and Cariboo regions of British Columbia. Multiple blazes have erupted south of Quesnel and east of Vanderhoof, fueled by dry conditions.
The largest of these fires is the Burgess Creek wildfire, which has expanded to 16 square kilometers. It is located northwest of Ben Lake and south of Quesnel, and is currently out of control.
Firefighters, heavy equipment, and aircraft are battling the flames, while the Cariboo Regional District has issued an evacuation alert for an area covering over 32 square kilometers around Burgess Creek. Six parcels of land are included in the alert, and residents have been advised to prepare for a possible evacuation.
The Prince George Fire Centre reports two additional wildfires east of Vanderhoof. In total, 113 active wildfires are burning in British Columbia, with six new ones igniting within the past 24 hours.
The B.C. government has noted that last year’s wildfire season was the most destructive in the province’s history, with over 2.84 million hectares of land burned and tens of thousands of people forced to evacuate.
