Lightning ripples across the horizon to the west of Prince George

Prince George, BC – The BC Wildfire Management Branch has recorded a total of 2100 positive lightning strikes in the past 12-hours, with the majority of those in the Prince George Fire Centre…

Fire Information Officer, Erin Catherall, says while there is no breakdown for each fire centre, the majority of the positive strikes did occur in our region, particularly around Prince George, Dawson Creek, Fort Nelson, and in the Valemount area.  The Cariboo and Southeast Fire Centres also saw a lot of lightning activity.

Catherall says, as a result, there were three new fire starts in the Prince George Fire Centre, but all are less than one-hectare in size.  She says the Fire Danger Rating remains at moderate to high, with patches of ‘extreme’ in the Vanderhoof, Hixon, and Valemount areas.

With the weather forecast calling for dry, warm temperatures again today, and the potential for further thunderstorms, Catherall is urging the public to be extra cautious in the backcountry.  While there is still no campfire ban, any fires must be kept to a half-metre wide, by a half-metre high.

To date, there have been 206 fires in the Prince George Fire Centre this season, which have burned approximately 26-hundred hectares.  Catherall says, of these fires, 123 have been lightning caused.