B.C. has no more wildfires of note, as of Sunday (Sept. 25) morning.
BC Wildfire Service says the province’s final major blaze at Battleship Mountain, near Hudson’s Hope, is now being held.
The fire was first spotted Aug. 30 and quickly grew to 31,755 hectares, forcing evacuations of hundreds of properties in the first half of September. Since the middle of the month, though, BC Wildfire says the blaze has seen little growth and the combination of cooler weather and the work of crews has reduced its severity.
BC Wildfire now says the fire is not likely to spread beyond the boundaries crews have created. Nearby communities can still expect smoke in the coming weeks, however, and the Johnson Forest Service Road remains closed at Highway 29.
The Battleship Mountain wildfire (G72150) ~ 50 km W of #HudsonsHope is now classified as Being Held. With the current resources assigned, sufficient suppression action has taken place and the fire is not likely to spread beyond boundaries under current and forecasted conditions. pic.twitter.com/PiksaSBqgU
— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) September 24, 2022
A similar calming trend is being seen across B.C., with the majority of the remaining wildfires considered under control or held. Of the 167 left, just 26 are out of control.
Most of the fires are in the southeast fire region, with 59 burning there, another 44 in the coastal region and 27 around Prince George. Another 22 wildfires remain in the Kamloops region, with 10 in the northwest and the final five in the Cariboo area.
Close to 85 per cent of the current wildfires are believed to have been caused by lightning, compared to 74 per cent of all those sparked this year so far. The others are attributed to people or are unknown.
Since the start of the wildfire season April 1, wildfires have burned 108,750 hectares of ground in the province. That’s about an eighth of the area burned in 2021 and a third of the 10-year average of 320,377 hectares burned per wildfire season.
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