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B.C. wildfires see significant growth from high winds delivered by cold front

July 26, 2024, Central Kootenay, B.C. — A cold front delivering high winds has caused significant wildfire growth in the Slocan Valley.

The update was delivered during a zoom media availability session hosted by the regional district of Central Kootenay (RDCK) on July 25, which featured Claire Allen, deputy manager of wildfire prevention for the B.C. Wildfire service, and Dan Seguin, the emergency operation centre director for the RDCK.

“Yesterday [July 24] was a very challenging day to cap off a very challenging week of wildfire suppression. We did see a cold front move through the area which resulted in some very sustained and very gusty winds which challenged out wildfire suppression efforts… and was responsible for significant growth of nearly all of the wildfires in the area,” Allen said.

There have been 146 new fires detected in the last seven days across the region, 95 per cent of which originated from 1,800 recorded lightning strikes. At the time of the statement 79 were classified as out of control, and 23 were no longer classified that way due to initial attack success.

11,000 hectares of land have been burned in the last seven days, she said.

Allen also noted the smoke generated by the fires was reducing the effectiveness of aviation crews, though they were still in use when it was considered safe to do so.

Seguin said the RDCK issued four evacuation orders on July 24, amounting to a total of four across electoral area H, near Slocan Lake, and two in electoral area D on the northern end of Kootenay Lake.

There are 557 properties on evacuation order and 1,085 properties on evacuation alert, he said.

Residents are encouraged to review FireSmart B.C. resources and to educate themselves on what they can do around their property to reduce wildfire risk.