Prince George, B.C.- The severe thunderstorms that passed through the region yesterday are being blamed for several wildfires in the Prince George and Cariboo Fire Centres.

In  the P.G. Fire Centre, personnel have responded to 20 new fires in the past 48 hours, 15 of which were caused by lightning. One of the fires was caused by an abandoned campfire and the causes of four others are undetermined at this time.

One of the largest fires is 60 kilometers northeast of Fort Nelson and has so far burned three hectares. Helicopters were used to bucket water onto the fire and two Initial Attack Crews were onsite fighting the blaze. Airtankers were used to fight another fire south of Stuart Lake, followed by a helicopter bucketing additional water onto the fire. Ground crews will be onsite today to fight the fire.

Fifteen abandoned campfires were reported in the Prince George Fire Zone over the extended Canada Day long weekend. Anyone who lights a campfire MUST completely extinguish it before leaving the area for any length of time, making sure that the ashes are cool to the touch.
The fire danger rating is currently "moderate" to "high" throughout the Prince George Fire Centre, with a few areas rated "extreme" near Vanderhoof, Fort St. John and northeast of Fort Nelson.

In the Cariboo Fire Centre, personnel  are responding to three fires caused by lightning storms that moved through the Quesnel, Barkerville and Wells areas yesterday.

These fires are currently being assessed by Wildfire Management Branch personnel to determine what resources will be necessary to contain them. They are all small, spot-sized wildfires and none of them is currently threatening any property or infrastructure. Air patrols will be conducted later today to locate any additional fires sparked by the lightning storms.