Despite no wildfires burning in the region, the Cariboo Fire Centre isn’t resting.
They upped the region’s danger level to “moderate” in the Williams Lake, Quesnel and 100 Mile House areas on Monday, Aug. 17.
“There is potential for lightning this week, so in combination with low humidity’s and the high temperatures we have been experiencing there could be an increased potential for fire starts,” the fire centre’s update reads. “However, we will be closely monitoring the conditions and are confident we have adequate resources to respond to any fire starts.”
Some areas in the Chilcotin zone have an “extreme” and “high” danger according to the update.
There is no ban on campfires, but the centre urged people to be cautious when lighting one.
“Anyone lighting a campfire must build a fire guard around their campfire, ensure they have access to 8 litres of water and never leave a campfire unattended,” the update reads. “This means the fire must be fully extinguished and cool to the touch before leaving the area for any length of time.”
A severe thunderstorm watch for the region was issued by Environment Canada Monday morning.
READ MORE: Severe thunderstorm watch in effect for Quesnel and Williams Lake
Williams Lake was also put under a heat warning, while temperatures in Quesnel reached 32C on Aug. 17.
The Cariboo Fire Centre has tracked 39 wildfires so far this year. There are 56 wildfires active across the province according to the BC Wildfire dashboard.
READ MORE: B.C. wildfire crews have battled 111 blazes in the last seven days
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