By Canadian Press

British Columbia’s record-breaking wildfire season, by the numbers

Jul 27, 2023 | 3:48 PM

British Columbia’s wildfire season is the most destructive on record, with more than 15,000 square kilometres of the province burned, surpassing the previous high of 13,543 square kilometres set in 2018.

Here are some statistics about the current season from the BC Wildfire Service website, as of 2:30 p.m. Pacific time, July 27.

Total area burned: 15,142 square kilometres

Fires currently burning: 395, including 21 fires of note

New fires in the past 24 hours: 5

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Out-of-control fires: 220

Total number of fires this season: 1,498

Causes of all fires: Lightning, 69 per cent; humans (deliberate and accidental), 24.5 per cent; unknown, 6.5 per cent.

Biggest single fire: Donnie Creek fire, northeastern B.C., 5,831 square kilometres. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2023.

The Canadian Press