Wildfires surge as B.C. records 11,000 lightning strikes, but rain helps in battle

The number of wildfires in British Columbia surged past 180 over the weekend, up from about 125 on Friday, as the province recorded 11,000 lightning strikes.

An update from the BC Wildfire Service said a subtropical weather system brought hot temperatures and lightning that sparked fires throughout southern B.C.

But it said crews were prepared for the storm that also brought significant rainfall, helping to moderate fire behaviour in a summer that’s otherwise been very dry.

The service said 75 per cent of the new fires sparked during the storm had already been classified as held, under control or out by Monday. 

With that, the number of active blazes ticked down to just below 180 later Monday.

The service has warned of the return of hot, dry and windy conditions this week.

Lightning is the suspected cause of a fire that prompted an evacuation alert for about 35 properties in the Metro Vancouver community of Lions Bay on Sunday.

But the blaze has been declared held at a size of about 100 square metres, burning in the forest above the Sea to Sky Highway, and the alert has been rescinded.

About a third of B.C.’s active fires are burning out of control, including four major wildfires of note — the massive Pear Lake fire in the Cariboo region, the Bald Range fire that forced the evacuation of some 20,000 people in and around Summerland, B.C., and the Ainslie Creek and Brunswick Creek fires in the Fraser Canyon area.

There, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District said an evacuation alert covering about 620 properties in the Nicola Valley had been lifted as cooler temperatures and higher humidity helped moderate the behaviour of the Ainslie Creek blaze.

But an alert continued to cover about 280 properties, while an evacuation order was in effect for just under 60 properties southwest of Merritt, B.C.

To the east, an update from the Central Okanagan emergency operations centre said the Quilpituk Creek fire had been declared under control, allowing for the lifting of an evacuation alert for properties northwest of Kelowna, B.C.

In the south Okanagan, some residents in the Meadow Valley area were allowed to return home with the downgrading of an evacuation order on Monday.

Others were still waiting to hear when they can return to their properties after the Bald Range wildfire forced the mass evacuation on the night of Aug. 7.

An evacuation order remained in effect for the community of Faulder, where the inferno destroyed dozens of homes as it surged.

BC Hydro has said the fire has damaged at least 237 pieces of power distribution infrastructure and further damages may be identified.

A statement from the Crown utility said crews were working to replace downed poles as well as clearing roadways and felling scorched trees.

Some evacuees returning to their properties have been confronted with burned homes and the remains of pets caught in the fast-moving blaze.

Robin Gibbs said the remains of his family’s beloved dog Boris, a St. Bernard, were found on Sunday. The dog was outside when Gibbs’ wife and their daughters had to leave in a hurry as the fire bore down, ultimately destroying their home.

Gibbs, who was working in northern B.C. at the time of the fire, said the dog’s remains were found in his favourite spot on the deck.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 24, 2026.

— With files from Marissa Birnie