Firefighters battle forest fires sparked by lightning

Lightning storms after long periods of warm, dry weatherare being blamed for starting a number of fires in B.C. forests over the weekend.

Four fires burning near the town of Tumbler Ridge in northeastern B.C. are of greatest concern, fire information officer Radha Fisher said Monday.

However, the community of 3,000 is not in danger, she said.

"The closest fire is still 15 kilometres from the community of Tumbler Ridge, so there's no threat to structures and people at this time," Fisher said.

"However, there is a lot of smoke, and because of the suppression activity in the area, there is a lot of road closures, so we're asking people, unless they absolutely have to, to stay out of the backcountry."

The four fires burning now range in size from 1,000 to 7,000 hectares, Fisher said.Smoke from the fires may be visible as far south as Prince George, nearly 400 kilometres away.

The Ministry of Forests is also concerned about thunderstorms forming near Anahim Lake in the Cariboo region of central B.C.

One resident has been asked to leave the area as firefighters battle a 150-hectare fire in that area.