Prince George, B.C. – Due to an elevated wildfire risk in BC, the Wildfire Management Branch has requested the assistance of 21 out-of-province personnel to aid with fire suppression efforts.

Hot and dry weather conditions are expected throughout the province this weekend, with a potential for thunderstorm activity to bring dry lightning to southwestern B.C. With this forecast in mind, fire officials are preparing for a potentially significant increase in fire activity.

One Incident Management Team from Ontario and other specialized personnel will be arriving in B.C. on Sunday.   They will initially be stationed in Kamloops and deployed elsewhere as determined by current fire activity and projected need. Firefighting crews will be on standby in all six of B.C.’s fire centres in preparation for an anticipated increase in fire starts.

Fire danger ratings in the province are currently “moderate” to “high”, with many pockets of “extreme”. The forecast drying trend will increase the danger rating, making forest fuels very receptive to ignition.

While there are currently no provincial campfire prohibitions in effect, the public is asked to take precautions when lighting fires of any size. Anyone lighting a campfire must maintain a fireguard by removing flammable debris from around the campfire area and must have a hand tool or at least eight litres of water available nearby to properly extinguish the fire. All outdoor burning other than campfires is currently banned in the Prince George Fire Centre.