'Vigorous and difficult-to-control': B.C. might be in for a bad wildfire season
Even though we’ve experienced some rain and relatively cool weather in the last few weeks, B.C. wildfires could still take a turn for the worse this summer.
Earlier this year, an expert sounded the alarm that we might be in for the fourth consecutive bad wildfire year, due to ongoing drought, a seasonal forecast for a hot and dry summer, and a transition to an El Niño.
In April, the B.C. government issued a similar warning, saying that the risk is high for “persistent drought conditions.” They also said that if there isn’t much rainfall over the next few weeks and months, they expect wildfire activity to increase.
And while the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) told Daily Hive in an email that we’ve seen “moderate June rains in various areas of the province,” there is cause for concern, as “underlying drought conditions remain.”
This is especially prevalent in the South Coast and central and Southern Interior Regions.
The BCWS’s Summer 2026 Seasonal Outlook noted that long-range guidance still “favours a warmer-than-normal summer across much of B.C. and Canada.”
Long-run precipitation deficits have amplified drought conditions in a number of regions across the province, including the Chilcotin, Lower Thompson, Okanagan, Vancouver Island and Northeast regions.
“The amount of rain required to mitigate these regions experiencing persistent multi-year drought is unlikely this summer,” reads the outlook.
It added that fire activity is expected to peak throughout July and August, and they are expecting “vigorous and difficult-to-control wildfires throughout the Central and Southern Interior and South Coast.”
“A whole-of-society approach”
BCWS said that as the province deals with longer and more intense wildfire seasons, the challenges “cannot be met by one agency, organization, government or individual acting alone.”
They said it requires “a whole-of-society approach in which all people, governments, organizations and others do their part in preventing and preparing for wildfires.”
BCWS’s advice to B.C. residents is to prepare their homes and properties for wildfires using FireSmart principles, following prohibitions and restrictions as they are issued, taking care that their activities don’t cause a wildfire, and report wildfires or dangerous activities at *5555 on cell or 1-800-663-5555.
Further, BCWS encouraged people to increase their household preparedness by:
- having an evacuation plan,
- updating home insurance policies,
- knowing where to find trusted emergency information,
- keeping informed about weather alerts,
- having an online profile if you’ll need support during an emergency,
- ensuring your home is more resistant to wildfire damage by taking action to FireSmart your property, and
- creating an emergency kit with essentials, including water, non-perishable food, medication and a first-aid kit.