The B.C. Wildfire Service is asking that people please avoid the backcountry this weekend as tinder dry conditions persist.
The province has already installed a sweeping campfire ban, and implemented an "extreme" fire rating, but fire information officer Kevin Skrepnek says there are other ways humans can spark a wildfire.
IMPORTANT: Stay away from active #BCwildfire areas, wherever you are in #BC. Crews need room to work safely: https://t.co/ChJgjLXRsi pic.twitter.com/S16d9MxMRD
— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) July 13, 2017
“When it is this hot and dry, and of course with these winds in the forecast, it just makes things all the more volatile,” said Skrepnek.
“Even use of off-road vehicles, the heat off the exhaust pipe or debris coming off that vehicle could be enough to start a fire.”
“In general, we are broadly encouraging people to stay out of the backcountry, to be perfectly frank,” he added.
As of Thursday afternoon, 67 provincial parks and reserves were listed as closed on the BC Parks website due to the wildfire situation.
Click here for up to date information concerning wildfires burning across B.C.
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