In photos: Wildfires break out across B.C. in a difficult weekend
Hundreds were told to leave their homes as more than 300 fires burned across the province.
Hundreds told to leave their homes as more than 300 fires burn across province
CBC News ·
Flames and smoke from the Shetland Creek Wildfire rise from the hills above Highway 1, where people are on evacuation alert in the province's southern Interior outside Ashcroft, British Columbia, on July 20, 2024. (Jesse Winter/Reuters)
It was a busy weekend for B.C. Wildfire crews as thousands of lightning strikes sparked dozens of new fires across the province.
More than 20,000 lightning strikes were recorded Sunday, coupled with high winds and hot weather, creating a perfect storm for new starts given the ongoing dry conditions in the province's Interior and north.
Additionally, existing fires continued to grow, forcing hundreds to leave their homes and putting hundreds more on standby should the situation devolve.
Here are images of what those wildfires — and the efforts to stop them — looked like over the past few days.
The Shetland Creek wildfire in B.C.'s Venables Valley is pictured on July 20, 2024. (Tom Popyk/CBC)
Light and smoke from the Antler Creek wildfire can be seen in the distance from Wells, a community consisting primarily of artists and some mine workers in the B.C. Cariboo. (Jillian Merrick)
District of Wells Mayor Ed Coleman said the fire is about five kilometres from the historic town of Barkerville. St. Saviour's Anglican Church in Barkerville as wildfire smoke cast a pall over the town. (B.C. Wildfire Service)
A water bomber flies over Mackenzie Avenue in Williams Lake, B.C., as a wildfire burns in the city Sunday. (Spencer Stratton)
A smoky sky can be seen near Ashcroft, where about 2,000 people are on evacuation alert. (Tom Popyk/CBC)
The Shetland Creek wildfire in B.C.'s Venables Valley is pictured on July 20, 2024. (Tom Popyk/CBC)
Smoke from the Shetland Creek Wildfire rises from the hills above Highway 1, where people are on evacuation alert in the province's southern Interior outside Ashcroft, British Columbia, on July 20, 2024. (Jesse Winter/Reuters)
A wildfire burns near train tracks in Williams Lake, B.C., on July 21, 2024. (Morgan Dodson)
Water pools in front of one of the historic wooden buildings in Barkerville, B.C., as runoff from sprinklers set up to protect the Gold Rush-era community pools in the street. (Barkerville Historic Town)
A sprinkler system has been installed in Barkerville Historic Town to protect the century-old Gold Rush-era community from a nearby wildfire. (Barkerville Historic Town)
A storage yard in Williams Lake, B.C., is pictured on July 21 as a wildfire burns nearby the central Interior city. (Spencer Stratton)
Fire suppressant is released from an aircraft in Williams Lake, B.C. (Spencer Stratton)
