Concerns around B.C. about windy conditions fanning wildfires extend to Vancouver Island.
“Those increased winds bring the potential for extreme fire behaviour, so everyone is ready on that front,” said Coastal Fire Centre information officer Sam Bellion.
They could be accompanied today by lightning, which could lead to fires, she said.
Vancouver Island currently has 15 active wildfires, most under control.
“We do have six lightning starts in the remote mountainous part of Strathcona Park,” Bellion said.
“They are being monitored. Our partners in B.C. Parks have determined that those natural fires don’t threaten any safety or any infrastructure, and they are going to be allowed to burn as part of the natural processes of the park until they’re extinguished by rain.
“Because they are so visible we do get a lot of questions about those ones.”
Upper elevations tend to have more lightning starts than other areas, Bellion said.
Environment Canada meteorologist Matt Loney said the winds around the south coast have been “taking the edge off the heat,” but conditions should rebound on the weekend.
“So Saturday, Sunday, even into Monday we’ve got clear skies and sunny weather, and temperatures edging back above normal,” he said.
There is a chance that wildfire smoke from the Interior could be pushed to the coast and the south Island by wind, arriving Saturday, Loney said.
No rain is in the immediate forecast.
There have been 100 wildfires on the Island since the fire season started on April 1, 60 of which were suspected to be human-caused, Bellion said.
On the south Island, a small fire outside Port Alberni is under control, Bellion said, as is a fire at Tugwell Creek, near Sooke, that was discovered Aug. 1.
Four small brush fires along the Malahat highway on Tuesday night have been deemed suspicious and are still under investigation. Malahat Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Glenn Cooper asked for anyone with dashcam video taken between the Malahat SkyWalk turnoff and the Split Rock Lookout from about 6:50 p.m. to contact Shawnigan Lake RCMP at 250-743-5514.
Cooper said the way the fires were spread out is one of the reasons suspicions were raised.
Two of the fires spread into woods and one went close to homes.
“They could have very quickly turned very bad,” Cooper said.
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