Prince George, B.C. – The BC Wildfire Service is expecting challenging weather conditions this weekend.

“The weather forecast continues to call for dry and warm conditions,” said fire information officer Navi Saini during a news conference this afternoon. “We’re expecting significant winds for most of B.C. but it’s difficult to predict.”

Did yesterday’s rainfall help with firefighting efforts?

“So, the showers we saw yesterday did help the situation but not all fires of concern received rain,” she said. “There was zero to 15 millimetres on each fire. It’s hard to say how much the impact was. We need prolonged rain over a long period of time to make a difference.”

She said yesterday’s lightning sparked 32 new fires (167 fires now active) – the majority in southern sections of the province – so, Kamloops, the Cariboo and South-East fire centres.

Here’s the latest stats on some of the fires of note in the region:

• Gustafsen fire west of 100 Mile House is 5,700 hectares and 65 per cent contained
• Hanceville fire west of Williams Lake is 135,000 hectares and zero per cent contained
• White Lake fire northwest of Williams Lake is 8,107 hectares and 10 per cent contained
• Wildwood fire north of Williams Lake is 13,215 hectares
• Elephant Hill fire is 58,300 hectares and 30 per cent contained though forecasted wind a concern

Saini said there are over 3,400 firefighting personnel fighting the blazes along with 218 aircraft.

RCMP Staff Sgt. Annie Linteau said the 225 Canadian Armed Forces members are expected to join the RCMP at checkpoints around Williams Lake and in the Cariboo by tomorrow morning.

She also noted Mounties are investigating the July 15 interface fire in Lake Country in the Okanagan which destroyed numerous homes and buildings.

Linteau said police believe the fire was human-caused and are treating it as “suspicious.” She asked anyone with tips to call 250-707-8025.