By Canadian Press

High winds pose challenge for firefighters battling blazes: BC Wildfire Service

Aug 15, 2021 | 5:26 PM

VANCOUVER — The BC Wildfire Service says it is watching wind conditions in several parts of the province which fuelled some of the larger blazes overnight.

Fire information officer Erika Berg called the gusty winds a challenge, saying they were fanning the flames of blazes in the southern and Interior regions.

She says there are about 270 active wildfires burning in the province, with a total of just under 7,000 square kilometres of land scorched.

Berg says less than 10 square kilometres of land had burned by this time last year, which she described as a particularly quiet year for wildfires.

She says the current area burned is about seven times more than the 10-year average, which was around 1,770 square kilometres.

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The two most active years for the service were 2017 with about 9,060 square kilometres of land charred and 2018 with approximately 3,880 square kilometres burned.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2021.

The Canadian Press