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Smoke rises over the Matthew Creek wildfire, whose cause is suspected to be from lightning, west of Kimberly, B.C., on Wednesday. Seven fires are burning more than 1,119 hectares near the eastern British Columbia resort town, as wildfires continue to rage in other parts of the province.BC Wildfire Service/Reuters
Schaun Goodeve sees flames when he steps out of his house in Kimberley, B.C. With wildfires around nine kilometres away, he’s getting his family prepared for a worst-case scenario – including choosing which of his 13-year-old daughter’s childhood possessions to take when evacuating.
These days, Mr. Goodeve always keeps his go-bag ready. He said communication from the BC Wildfire Service has been key in understanding what to do if the situation becomes more serious.
“Unfortunately, it’s a bit more of a new reality, right, for communities across Canada,” Mr. Goodeve said.
In his family’s case, he said: “It can be hard on the kids, just the uncertainty. It’s really important to make sure that they all feel safe and they’re being updated, and people are communicating with them.”
Seven fires are burning more than 1,119 hectares near Kimberley, an eastern British Columbia resort town, as wildfires continue to rage in other parts of the province. Boston Bar has been under an evacuation order since Tuesday and the village of Clinton has been placed on evacuation alert as of Wednesday.
Despite a relatively quiet start to the summer, hot and dry conditions followed by lightning strikes sparked several wildfires throughout the province. B.C. is expected to face a wildfire season this year as harsh as some of the worst on record, with weather projections appearing to mimic the devastation in 2017, 2018 and 2021.
The evacuation alert for the East Kootenay city of Kimberley, issued July 19, is a good sign in Mr. Goodeve’s eyes, who works with communities across Canada in economic development and urban planning. He said giving the city of around 9,000 a “wake-up call” is an opportunity to make sure everyone is prepared.
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Conditions in Kimberley worsened Wednesday afternoon as warmer temperatures, stronger winds and abundant receptive fuel increased fire behaviour and smoke production.
“There’s a lot of ashes and burnt materials that were landing in the community. People felt a sense of unease. You feel uncomfortable,” Mr. Goodeve said.
The elevated fire activity may continue if storms bring lightning followed by little to no precipitation, said Paula Walbauer, the fire information officer for the region. In addition, higher winds will increase fire conditions.
This situation is expected to continue through Saturday evening, when a cold front may bring temperatures down and reduce fire activity in the area, Ms. Walbauer said. Lower temperatures increase the moisture content of potential fuel.
Ms. Walbauer said seven helicopters and 35 firefighters are working to put out the fires in the region.
Kimberley was also placed under an evacuation alert in 2018, when wildfires encroached on the community, requiring an evacuation order for residents of nearby St. Mary Lake.
Clinton’s several hundred residents received evacuation alerts Wednesday, because of the more-than-10,000-hectare fire burning north of the village. Northwest of Kamloops and more than 400 kilometres away from Kimberley, the fire has caused a patchwork of evacuation orders and alerts.
Mayor Roland Stanke said in an interview Thursday that the fire is getting dangerously close to Clinton’s watershed, threatening a supply that is already under major restrictions.
“If it gets into the watershed, well, then we’re in major trouble,” Mr. Stanke said. Ashes were falling everywhere in the community, he said, and the smoke made it hard to breathe and talk.
Nearly 100 km south in Lytton, a village largely destroyed by wildfire five years ago, temperatures were hitting record highs.
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North of where fires are raging in the Fraser Valley around Boston Bar, Lytton hit 41.2 C on Wednesday, the highest temperature recorded on that date in the village since 2006, according to Environment Canada. Despite the record high, temperatures fell far short of the 49.6 C recorded in Lytton on June 29, 2021, a day before it was razed by fire.
The agency says Lytton is among 12 B.C. communities that set daily heat records on Wednesday, with Cache Creek and Osoyoos both pushing past 39 degrees.
In Kimberley, Mr. Goodeve said he and other residents were staying resilient.
“That’s kind of our composition,” he said. “We’re looking out for our neighbours and making sure everyone is safe.”
With reports from The Canadian Press
