Fraser Canyon, South Thompson and North Coast under heat alerts with fire danger high provincewide
Wildfire officials are warning that hot, dry conditions across nearly all of British Columbia could drive increased fire activity through the Labour Day long weekend as the number of blazes in the province continues to climb.
B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) figures showed 83 active blazes Friday morning, up from 68 on Wednesday, with 12 new starts and seven declared out over the past 24 hours. Eighteen of those fires are now classified as out of control.
Fire information officer Emelie Peacock said a long stretch of heat has left fuels across much of the province highly susceptible to ignition and spread.
"We are certainly looking at an increased fire danger risk across pretty much the whole province," she told CBC News.
"We have had hot and dry weather in the province but definitely concentrated in the southern B.C. since last Thursday, and now into the weekend."
Peacock said chances of thunderstorms over the next few days could spark new blazes in southern B.C., while a cold front moving into the north is expected to bring stronger winds.
"Whenever wind meets currently burning wildfires, that's certainly potential for increased fire behaviour and spread," she said.
Environment Canada has issued heat warnings for several regions, including the Fraser Canyon north and south, the South Thompson, and inland regions of the North Coast.
Meteorologist Matt Loney said a ridge of high pressure anchored over B.C. is bringing "very high temperatures" to those parts of the province this weekend, with daytime highs in some areas reaching the mid-30s and overnight lows remaining between 20 and 25 C.
"There's a chance for showers and even some embedded thundershowers," he said. "The concern with this system would be the amount of rain, which isn't expected to be too substantial and if we're not getting a lot of rain with the system, then the lightning could be a potential hazard and initiate potentially more fires."
The system is expected to track gradually northward through the weekend, bringing scattered showers by Sunday or Monday, though no widespread rainfall is in the forecast.
The B.C. Wildfire Service says fire danger ratings remain moderate to extreme across much of the province, with the exception of parts of Vancouver Island.
"The coastal regions is a little bit lower in the moderate range, but for all the Interior regions right from top to bottom we are looking at dry forest fields and potential for fires to start," said Peacock.
Nearly 280 firefighters are deployed across B.C. as of Friday, supported by 73 aircraft, 13 pieces of heavy equipment and a structure protection team.
The wildfire service says 57 per cent of this year's fires have been sparked by lightning, with human activity accounting for about 23 per cent.
Peacock noted that although the number of fires so far this year is lower than at the same point in 2024, climate change has been making seasons longer and more unpredictable.
"Fire seasons are starting earlier and lasting longer," she said.
While this season has been active, the overall number of fires is below last year's pace, according to Peacock.
Data provided by the wildfire service shows that as of Friday, B.C. has recorded 981 fires in 2025, totalling a burn area of about 7,240 square kilometres. By the same point in 2024, there had been 1,560 fires that had scorched more than 10,000 square kilometres.
The B.C. government has issued a statement reminding people of open-burning prohibitions across the province and campfire bans in the Coastal, Cariboo and Kamloops fire centres ahead of the Labour Day long weekend.