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British Columbia wildfires rise to 113 after 4,000 lightning strikes
Cbc reported that about 100 new fires ignited across British Columbia since Friday, bringing the total to 113 by Saturday morning. Two-thirds of the fires burned out of control, mostly in the southern Interior, after 4,000 lightning strikes hit the province.
Jul 18, 12:28 PM·1m read1 source
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Cbc reported that British Columbia recorded 113 wildfires burning as of Saturday morning, up from roughly 20 active blazes on Wednesday morning. About 100 of the fires started since Friday, when the B.C. Wildfire Service documented 4,000 lightning strikes.
Officials attributed the vast majority of the new fires to those strikes. Two-thirds of the fires were out of control on Saturday morning, with most new blazes, evacuation orders and alerts concentrated in the southern Interior. More than 500 firefighters have been deployed across the province.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District ordered the evacuation of 131 properties near Big Bar Lake and Meadow Lake on Friday because of the Fiftynine Creek fire. The district also issued an evacuation alert for the Bonaparte Plateau. The Cariboo Regional District ordered an evacuation for the Bowers Lake fire and issued an alert for the Lessard Lake fire.
The Fiftynine Creek fire was detected on Friday and grew to about 40 square kilometres by Friday evening. Fire officials had warned earlier in the week of a weather system expected to bring lightning and conditions favorable for fire ignition and spread on the dry landscape. An update from the B.C.
