B.C. ministers urge residents to have go-bags, insurance before floods and wildfires
The B.C. government says residents should start preparing for wildfire and flood season with go-bags and insurance, as emergency response officials watch the snowpack and drought levels across the province.
The coming spring runoff and the prospect of extreme heat or rain events could lead to flooding in some regions, though officials also say the snowpack is lower than average and there is "potential for prolonged drought this year."
The B.C. Wildfire Service says the province could see an active spring wildfire season due to drought conditions and warns of higher fire risk unless there's "significant and sustained" rainfall in the near future.
Forests Minister Ravi Parmar says the severity of the upcoming wildfire season is unknown, but agreed it will likely be affected by ongoing drought conditions.
He says the wildfires in California earlier this year were a "stark reminder" of fire's destructive powers, and that B.C. residents should "do their part to help protect their homes and communities."
WATCH | More British Columbians taking steps to protect homes:
B.C. homeowners taking steps to improve fire resiliency
11 months ago
Duration 2:13
As B.C.'s summer fire season gets underway, more and more homeowners are taking preventative steps to protect their properties. In the Okanagan there has been a marked increase in people doing the FireSmart B.C. program. As Brady Strachan reports, firefighters say prevention and mitigation can make all the difference.
Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene says the impacts of climate change have been "devastating," pointing to the 2023 wildfire season — the most destructive on record — and the 2021 atmospheric river and heat dome events.
"When wildfires are burning nearby, it can become too late to obtain insurance, and that's why now is the time to get insured," Greene said Wednesday.
"We are approaching the time of year when seasonal hazards increase and it's important that we all stay alert, stay informed and stay prepared. While we're always hoping for the best, we prepare for the worst."
The province says it has outlined expanded prevention efforts, including 88 planned cultural and prescribed burns and $90 million allocated to wildfire prevention initiatives.
According to some experts, the wildfire season is already underway in parts of the province.
"Some of the fires that ignited in May 2023 are still burning in the northeast," said Lori Daniels, co-director of the Centre for Wildfire Coexistence at the University of B.C. "They went underground through the winter and have now resurfaced, with smoke already affecting communities like Fort Nelson."
Daniels emphasized that effective prevention requires both government action and individual responsibility.
"Each of us taking the time and effort to clean out the gutters ... to make sure that we're cleaning up our yards and doing the yard maintenance, especially in the most fire-prone parts of the province," Daniels told CBC News. "There are things we can do to help ourselves."
With the Easter long weekend ahead, Daniels says it's the perfect time to act.
WATCH | How FireSmart principles can save homes:
Watch as a wildfire overtakes this fire-smart B.C. property
2 years ago
Duration 1:30
Video from the front porch of a cabin near Cathedral Provincial Park shows the Crater Creek advancing and overtaking the property.
"It only takes a day or two for each of us to get prepared."
She says roofs are especially vulnerable to wildfire as debris and embers accumulate over time.
FireSmart B.C. recommends regularly clearing leaves and branches and using fire-resistant roofing materials such as metal, asphalt, clay or composite tiles.
Daniels says FireSmart initiatives can make a significant difference in protecting communities.
As an example, she pointed to last year's wildfire in Jasper, where more than 30 per cent of the community was damaged. But she noted the situation could have been much worse without years of preventative work — including prescribed burns, thinning diseased forests and installing sprinkler systems.
"Let's flip that on its head … we saved 70 per cent of that community, its critical infrastructure," she said. "That's a win."
B.C. says it has issued roughly $500 million since 2017 to support over 2,600 local disaster-preparedness and mitigation projects through Emergency Management and Climate Readiness funding programs.
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Vancouver Sun
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- Vancouver Sun
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The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors The B.C. Interior remains under a heat warning Thursday, with temperatures expected to be in the mid-to-high 30s, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada. Residents in the Okanagan Valley, Fraser Canyon, South Thompson, Boundary, and West Kootenay regions will be feeling the heat at night as well, with overnight lows of 18 C. 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It said 35 wildfire firefighters were responding to the blaze about two kilometres north of Peachland between highways 97 and 97C. There were also 14 firefighters from the Peachland, Kelowna and North Westside departments. The fire was displaying rank-two fire behaviour, meaning 'a surface fire with some open flame and a slow to moderate rate of spread,' the emergency agency said. It said an assessment was underway to evaluate evacuation orders and alerts and an update would be provided later Thursday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Emily Gow with Todd's Lakeside RV, located south of the blaze, said it was 'just up the highway,' but the business was not among the evacuated properties. Gow said she could see flames on Wednesday, but by Thursday the fire appeared to have calmed down. 'They're only dealing with little hot spots. There's no raging fire that's blooming all over the place.' She said guests were concerned the fire could get out of hand, but staff from the area weren't as worried. 'We've got guests anywhere from up the road to in Europe staying with us right now, so people were having a mixed range of emotions toward the fire,' she said, adding guests from Switzerland had checked in at about 11 p.m. Wednesday after delays due to highway closures in the area. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Police and fire crews went door-to-door Wednesday to evacuate residents from about 400 properties near Peachland. Another 225 properties remain on evacuation alert due to the fire that started Wednesday afternoon and quickly spread through tinder-dry brush. Environment Canada has issued more than a dozen heat warnings in B.C., including in the central Okanagan, where temperatures could reach 38 C on Thursday. Temperatures are expected to moderate on Friday, a weather statement said. On Vancouver Island, an evacuation order was issued for properties in the Nanaimo region including waterfront properties on the north side of Cameron Lake and a portion of Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park Rebecca Taylor, a spokesperson for the Nanaimo Regional District, said 'a few dozen' properties are covered by the evacuation order. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A statement from the district said additional properties to the northeast of the lake are under an evacuation alert, meaning residents should be ready to leave if required. The Lytton First Nation issued an evacuation order Thursday for two sparsely populated reserves due to immediate danger posed by the out-of-control wildfire nearby, about 10 kilometres south of the Village of Lytton. The order said residents were to leave the Lytton 26A and Skwayaynope 26 reserves immediately and head to a reception centre. Officials with the Lytton First Nation said there are only two households on the reservation plots, one of which is unoccupied, while the other belongs to a member of the First Nation fire fighting team on the front lines of the fire. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A spokesman for the First Nation said it was not the same area evacuated in June 2021, when much of Lytton was destroyed by a wildfire and two people were killed. The current Lytton wildfire was recently measured at 6.5 square kilometres and continues to burn out of control, causing the Thompson-Nicola Regional District and local First Nations to issue a series of evacuation alerts this week. Barj Dehaan said he was driving back home to Vancouver on Wednesday when he started seeing smoke about 30 kilometres east of Lytton. 'As I got closer, I could see this huge plume of smoke. And as I got closer, I could see the literal fire as well, trees on fire. I have not seen a live fire like that before,' he said Thursday. He said the region has been very hot. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The air quality was poor, and I could feel a burning sensation in my throat, strong smell of burning wood. And then I started thinking about the people who live in that town, that here they are again, having to deal with a fire that seems to be out of control,' he said. The BC Wildfire Service has meanwhile upgraded a blaze in the Fraser Valley to a 'wildfire of note' and is warning campers to leave the Harrison Lake area as roads are closed ahead of the long weekend. The 65-hectare Bear Creek fire is the first fire of note in B.C. since July 9, when the Izman Creek blaze near Lytton lost that status. The designation is reserved for fires that are 'creating an increased level of interest.' — The Canadian Press, with files from CHNL This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Lytton First Nation that was devastated four years ago by a wildfire has ordered that residents on some of its reserves be evacuated again. The First Nation has issued an evacuation order for two sparsely populated reserves due to immediate danger caused by an uncontrolled wildfire burning nearby. The Cantilever Bar fire near Lytton burns north end in the afternoon of July 30, 2025. Photo: B.C. Wildfire Service. The order signed today says residents must leave the Lytton 26A and Skwayaynope 26 reserves immediately and head to a reception centre. The fire near Lytton was most recently measured at 6.5 square kilometres and continues to burn out of control, causing the Thompson-Nicola Regional District and local First Nations to issue a series of evacuation alerts. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It is one of a handful of significant fires burning in the province. Police and fire crews went door-to-door Wednesday night to evacuate residents from 400 homes near Peachland as a fast-moving wildfire burned near the community. More coming. — The Canadian Press Wildfire east of Harrison Lake now considered wildfire of note The B.C. Wildfire service says the out-of-control Bear Creek fire, located east of Harrison Lake, is now considered B.C.'s sole wildfire of note, which means it has become a serious concern for firefighters. It's believed the 0.7-square-kilometre-blaze, which broke out Tuesday, was caused by humans. The Bear Creek wildfire, east of Harrison Lake, is now considered a wildfire of note. Photo by The B.C. Wildfire Service. Campers in the vicinity were asked to leave the area as a precaution. According to the latest update, fire crews bucketed the flames overnight using night vision imaging technology. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Fire officials had asked people to stay out of the Harrison Lake area but later updated that request to be more specific, saying areas to avoid are north of the Cascade Peninsula and south of the Silver River. There are road closures ahead of the long weekend at Harrison East and the Kookipi Forest service Road. On Thursday, there were two 22-person unit crews, five helicopters and a skimmer aiding in the fight. Evacuations underway for wildfire near Peachland The Drought Hill wildfire near Peachland on July 30, 2025. Photo: B.C. Wildfire Service Central Okanagan Emergency Operations says evacuations are underway for about 400 properties due to a wildfire burning between Peachland and West Kelowna. The fire has also forced the closure of stretches of highways 97 and 97C in the area. Police are urging boaters to stay out of Okanagan Lake on Wednesday as crews battle the new wildfire on Drought Hill in Peachland. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The B.C. Wildfire Service reported the blaze in the Kamloops Fire Centre on Wednesday. It is out of control and estimated at about 50,000 square metres, or roughly 10 football fields, in size. Evacuees can temporarily report to the Peachland Community Centre, while a muster centre has been opened at Royal LePage Place in West Kelowna for those who cannot reach the other centre. Source: Emergency Info B.C. Wildfire near Lytton continues to spread The size of the o ut-of-control Cantilever Bar wildfire, burning about 10 kilometres south of Lytton on the west side of the Fraser River, has grown to 6.5 square kilometres in size, up from 4.6 sq. km. Wednesday and 1.5 sq. km. on Tuesday. Evacuation alerts remain in place for four areas, issued by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, the Lytton First Nation, the Siska Indian Band and the Skuppah Indian Band. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Image of the Cantilever Bar fire near Lytton B.C. on July 29, 2025. Credit: B.C. Wildfire Service Photo by B.C. Wildfire Service / Government of B.C. Lytton Mayor Denise O'Connor told Postmedia Wednesday that fire is far away from town and that it's not a concern. 'It's worrisome in that the smell of the smoke, the sight of the flames and helicopters can be triggering for people with anxiety and PTSD from the 2021 fire,' she said. 'But as far as the fire itself coming into the village, it's not a concern.' Hot and dry weather remains a concern for firefighters as the Fraser Canyon remains under a heat warning Thursday, with temperatures expected in the high 30s. New wildfire ignites on Vancouver Island The B.C. Wildfire Service is responding to the province's latest blaze, a wildfire that broke out on Vancouver Island Wednesday, southwest of Qualicum Beach. The Wesley Ridge wildfire, which is burning on the north side of Cameron Lake, is considered out of control. More to come … Source: The B.C. Wildfire Service With files from Cheryl Chan and The Canadian Press Read More Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Canucks Celebrity News Vancouver Whitecaps
