B.C. wildfires: what you need to know

British Columbia’s forests are burning up. Year after year, B.C. wildfires of increasing size and intensity displace thousands and reshape the province’s landscapes. Smoky skies have become the summer norm. Fire season is now inescapably part of living here. 

Here’s what you need to know about wildfires currently burning in the province and what to do if fire approaches your doorstep. This page — including our interactive map — will be regularly updated throughout the 2024 fire season.

B.C. wildfire map and latest info

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Go here to see our interactive real-time map tracking B.C. wildfires

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This map on our website is continually updated with live information from the BC Wildfire Service. Click on the icons to learn more about specific fires and to see our reporting. For more detailed information and to access additional resources, please visit https://wildfiresituation.nrs.gov.bc.ca/dashboard.

• As of Aug. 13, there are 429 active wildfires, including 60 new fires over the past 24 hours. Over the past seven days, 352 fires were extinguished, including 82 in the past 24 hours.
• There are currently four wildfires of note: the 7,012-hectare Calcite Creek fire south of Princeton; the 5,670-hectare Dogtooth FSR wildfire south of Golden, which has shut down Highway 95 and resulted in a number of evacuation orders; the 28,081-hectare Shetland Creek complex, a lightning-ignited fire burning near the community of Spences Bridge, between Lytton and Ashcroft; and Komonko Creek fire burning near New Denver and the village of Silverton.
• The Hullcar Mountain fire north of Vernon is officially classified as being held, which means it is still burning but firefighters are able to keep it from spreading further. While the 19,153-hectare Argenta Creek wildfire in the Kootenay region has prompted evacuation orders, effective response and favourable conditions have decreased fire activity on the complex, and it is no longer listed as a fire of note.
• Numerous evacuation orders and alerts have been issued related to these and other incidents as fire activity on the landscape continues across the province. More than 1,700 firefighting personnel are currently assigned to respond to wildfires in B.C.
• Smoke continues to affect dozens of communities across the province and Environment Canada has issued several air quality statements over the past week. (Check out our explainer on what heat waves, air quality and UV index mean, and what they tell you about health risks.)

Fire bans, including campfire bans, in B.C.

• Hot and dry conditions are expected to persist in many regions of the province, and Environment Canada issued heat warnings and severe thunderstorm watches for several communities and rural districts. Lightning is responsible for 89 per cent of the active wildfires currently burning in the province.
• Campfires are only permitted in the Prince George fire district at present. All open burning, including campfires, is still prohibited in most of B.C.

Useful terminology used by BC Wildfire Service 

For more terms commonly used by wildland firefighters, see here.

• Out of control: A wildfire that is continuing to increase in size or anticipated to spread beyond the current perimeter or control line. Out of control does not mean the wildfire is dangerous or a threat. It refers to conditions, including weather forecasts and fire behaviour, that are expected to keep the fire growing. 
• Being held: A wildfire firefighters are able to keep within a predetermined perimeter and not expected to immediately spread further, based on fuel, weather conditions and available resources.  
• Under control: A wildfire suppressed to the point it will not spread beyond the current perimeter.
• Out: A wildfire no longer burning.  
• Holdover: A wildfire that continued burning throughout the winter, smouldering underground. While the extent of holdover fires is defined by their last perimeter, how much of the fire is still burning is unknown. When warm, dry conditions occur in spring, a holdover fire can reignite. 
• Evacuation alert: A notification a wildfire is burning close to your home or community and you should be ready to leave on short notice.
• Evacuation order: A notification you are at risk and you should leave immediately.
• Fuel: Any organic matter that can ignite and burn, such as leaves, sticks, grass and trees.
• Initial attack: Similar to “first responders”, this refers either to the first firefighting personnel to arrive at a wildfire or the action taken to halt the spread or potential spread of a fire.
• Controlled burns: Prescribed or controlled burns are a tool to mitigate the effects of fire both during wildfire response and before fires start. Reducing the available fuel by safely burning it when conditions allow can protect communities and support wildland firefighters during a response situation. Cultural burning is also a form of controlled burn.

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Emergency resources

To ensure you have access to the most up-to-date information, follow @BCGovFireInfo on X and connect with your local municipality or regional district on Facebook. If you don’t use social media, bookmark the government’s wildfire dashboard on your phone or internet browser.

Download the BC Wildfire Service app on Apple or GooglePlay for information about fires, suppression efforts and evacuation alerts or orders. Make a plan using B.C.’s emergency ready service and prepare a grab-and-go bag. If you see a wildfire, please call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on a cell phone to report.

Evacuation alerts and orders are issued by municipalities and regional districts and are linked via the BC Wildfire Service portal. Follow @EmergencyInfoBC on X for more information or bookmark https://www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca/ to stay connected with emergency officials. Some municipalities or regional districts have set up emergency text, phone or email alerts you can subscribe to — contact your local authority to sign up.

If you are under an evacuation alert, get ready to go — you might not have much time and fire doesn’t keep business hours so an evacuation order could come in the middle of the night. 

How do wildfires start?

In B.C., the majority of wildfires each year are caused by lightning, according to the provincial government. Human activities including carelessness, such as flicking a cigarette butt out the car window or not fully putting out a campfire, make up the remainder. However, when BC Wildfire Service notes the cause of a fire is human, this does not necessarily mean a specific person is responsible. Put simply, it applies to any fire not started by lightning. For example, a wildfire lit by a tree falling on a hydro line would be categorized as human-caused, as would a fire started by industrial activity.

Whether a wildfire has a natural or human cause, underlying conditions determine how the fire behaves — and how big it can get. Drought conditions, decades of fire suppression and forest management practices (including mono-crop tree plantations) are all factors. And a hotter, drier climate is exacerbating those conditions. The planet is heating up, due to carbon pollution created from burning fossil fuels, and the wildfire season is becoming longer and more intense.

Solutions, in-depth analysis and more

As fire season becomes entrenched in B.C.’s collective psyche, researchers, Indigenous leaders and governments at all levels are seeking solutions. From cows clearing fire-prone undergrowth to scientists studying how small wildfires benefit birds while mega-fires devastate habitat, The Narwhal is looking at what is being done to prepare for — and survive — the new wildfire reality. 

Our 2024 series, In The Line of Fire, explores stories about the people on the frontlines of the crisis, including how cultural burning is healing the land and people while mitigating the effects of wildfire and other solutions, plus an unflinching look at those most affected by wildfires. That includes wildland firefighters who are being tested like never before.

In the wake of Jasper wildfires to the east, we dig deep and try to find out why Canada’s parks are so primed to burn.

We are also looking at lessons learned from past fire seasons and asking tough questions about how governments are responding to the growing crisis.

— With contributions from Sarah Cox and Karan Saxena