'Serious weather event' likely to make B.C. wildfires worse, forecasters warn

Forecasters are worried unseasonably hot weather forecast for the weekend will exacerbate an already-unusual wildfire season in northeastern B.C.

John Innes, a professor in the faculty of forestry at the University of British Columbia, says it looks like a "serious weather event'' is occurring, with a ridge of pressure expected to produce prolonged heat with little to no rain in the forecast.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for the B.C. Interior that begins Friday and runs through Tuesday.

The agency says daytime highs will rise into the low to mid-30s over the central and southern Interior, while northern regions will hit the mid to high 20s — 10 C to 15 C above what is seasonable.

Overnight lows are expected to be in the mid-teens — also 10 C to 15 C above what is seasonable.

However, the agency notes the conditions are not comparable to the heat dome recorded in June 2021, which resulted in stagnant air being trapped near the earth's surface, preventing overnight cooling from taking place.

The forecasted heat wave comes as crews continue to battle significant wildfires near Fort St. John and along the B.C.-Alberta border, which have forced more than 100 people from their homes.

On Tuesday, the Peace River Regional District said three homes near Fort St. John suffered "significant damage" due to the Boundary Lake wildfire.

The district said it has been in touch with homeowners to offer them support. One of the homes may have been uninhabited, the district says.

There are more than 40 active wildfires burning across the province, primarily in the Prince George Fire Centre, which covers the northeast quarter of the province, and it's likely that number will grow over the weekend, forecasters say.

In a series of statements posted online, the B.C. Wildfire Centre warned of the unseasonably strong ridge of high pressure expected to build over B.C. this weekend.

"This will mean summer-like conditions with temperatures forecast to be several degrees above seasonal normals, likely breaking temperature records for mid-May," the service said.

The statement says that compared to the 20-year average, the number of wildfires experienced this spring is normal, but the number of hectares burned for this time of year is four times higher than usual.