'There's likely more to come': 2023 now B.C.'s worst wildfire season for area burned

Nearly 14,000 square kilometres of land in B.C. have burned since April 1, officially making 2023 the province's worst wildfire season on record in terms of area burned.

Nearly 14,000 square kilometres of land in B.C. have burned since April 1, officially making 2023 the province's worst wildfire season on record in terms of area burned.

According to the BC Wildfire Service, as of Tuesday morning, there had been 1,190 fires so far this season, and 1,398,597 hectares had burned.

The province's previous record wildfire season was 2018, when 2,117 blazes burned 1,354,284 hectares.

Given that statistics are compiled for April 1 to March 31 of the following year, there's still a lot of time left for the 2023 season to worsen.

"The models are – they don't look great for the rest of the summer," said Cliff Chapman, director of wildfire operations for BCWS during a news conference Tuesday morning.

He said July and August are typically B.C.'s "core fire season," and that modelling from Environment and Climate Change Canada for the rest of the summer suggests higher-than-average temperatures and below-average rainfall across much of the province.

"It is significant," said Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Bowinn Ma, acknowledging the new record for area burned.