Spring showers ‘masking’ B.C.’s drought and potential for busy fire season

A firefighter works on a wild fire burning in West Kelowna, B.C., on Wednesday, July 23, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

An official with the British Columbia Wildfire Service says a slow start to the fire season, with 42 square kilometres of land burned so far this spring, is “masking” underlying drought and the likelihood of increased fire activity this summer.

Neal McLoughlin, superintendent for predictive services, says cloudy weather and “decent” rain showers in some areas last month have helped subdue fire behaviour.

But he says it’s unlikely B.C. will get enough rain to mitigate its persistent drought, and it will take just one or two weeks of summer heat to dry out surface-level fuels that are susceptible to ignition, especially with the onset of lightning season.

McLoughlin says current drought patterns are worse compared with those recorded at the same time of year in the historic fire seasons of 2017, 2018 and 2021.

He told a news conference that “vigorous” fires that are difficult to control are expected throughout southern B.C. as the season peaks in July or August.

Dave Campbell, head of B.C.’s River Forecast Centre, meanwhile, says warm weather this spring has driven an early snowmelt in southern B.C., where rivers and streams in some areas are running at low levels for this time of year.

Models also show with “near certainty” that B.C. will see hotter-than-normal temperatures over the next few months, he told the news conference.

Still, officials say the province is ready for what’s to come, with Forests Minister Ravi Parmar pointing to the wildfire service’s year-round mitigation efforts and expanded use of night-vision technology to help crews work overnight.

“Our teams are ready to go in every corner of the province,” he said, adding the province has been hiring and training firefighters earlier than in the past.

The service’s website shows there were 14 active wildfires across the province on Tuesday, with two classified as burning out of control.

This report by Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press, was first published on June 16, 2026.