The peaceful tranquillity of a provincial park on Vancouver Island was disrupted Monday as six new wildfires blazed out of control. Strathcona Provincial Park experienced the wrath of the largest fire, consuming approximately 60 hectares of land by 10 a.m. Experts from the B.C. Wildfire Service suspect that lightning may have sparked the eruption near Tlools Lake.
Five additional fires, also presumed to be ignited by lightning or other natural forces, were discovered burning uncontrolled in the park later that day. Their sizes varied, ranging from less than a hectare to slightly over two hectares. Provincial firefighters, because of the remote and rugged locations of the fires far from populated areas or property, have settled to merely observe the fires instead of actively engaging them. As of now, there have been zero evacuation orders or alerts correlated with any of the fires present within Strathcona Provincial Park.
In related news, the destructive repercussions of recent wildfires around Lake Okanagan have escalated, leaving 189 properties either significantly damaged or completely destroyed. Authorities in the B.C. Interior report that the ravaging McDougall Creek fire continues to burn out of control, its battle now contending in the hills above the community as opposed to the streets and neighborhoods, according to West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund.
It has been determined by the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre that the newly evaluated destroyed or critically damaged properties reside either in West Kelowna or a surrounding rural vicinity. The relentless efforts of over 250 firefighters and field staff persist, as they continue to tackle the Grouse complex of fires around Lake Okanagan. More than two-thirds of these personnel are devoted to the 126-square-kilometer McDougall Creek fire that descended onto West Kelowna on August 17th.
Meanwhile, as almost 400 active wildfires keep British Columbia under siege, relentless heat is predicted to persist Monday in certain parts of the province, especially in the northern areas where daily high temperatures are expected to exceed 30 degrees. The smoke generated by these wildfires have diminished the air quality across large expanses of British Columbia, forcing advisories to be issued in Metro Vancouver, large portions of Vancouver Island, and other communities such as Whistler, Kamloops, Kelowna, Golden, Fernie, Quesnel, Prince George, and Smithers.
Firefighters, after witnessing the benefits of heavy rainfall in the Okanagan and Shuswap regions last week, are facing the prospect of tougher weather conditions this week. The fate of the properties of those residents of the Shuswap region, who were driven from their homes due to a devastating wildfire a little over a week ago, will soon be determined. Derek Sutherland, the director of the emergency operations centre for the Columbia Shuswap Regional District, has declared the number of properties lost to the Bush Creek East wildfire remains at 131, with another 37 having sustained damage.
