Cooler conditions forecast for much of B.C., expected to aid in fire fight

British Columbia's wildfire service says cool conditions and thunderstorms are in the forecast for much of the province as nearly 90 wildfires actively burn.

Its latest situational report says thunderstorm activity is expected across the province, bringing a low to moderate chance of lightning provincewide.

The BC Wildfire Service says nearly 75 per cent of the blazes burning in B.C. have been sparked by lightning.

It says the Fort Nelson area in the northeast is getting the most rain, which will help reduce the intensity of the fires there.

The service says north and central B.C. will see seasonal temperatures, and while there may be a slight drop in temperature in the south, hot and dry conditions are expected to linger.

The forecast comes after an out-of-control wildfire near Lytton, B.C., is again threatening the community and set off evacuation orders and alerts about four years after a deadly fire ripped through the town.

The service says the Izman Creek fire burning north of Lytton was discovered on Canada Day and has grown to about 130 hectares in size.

The community is still in the process of rebuilding from the 2021 fire that killed two people and wiped out much of the village and part of the Lytton First Nation four years ago on Monday.

The service says about 36 per cent of the wildfires actively burning in the province are classified as out of control, 30 per cent are being held and 34 per cent are under control.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - BC Wildfire Service