The province will most likely see its 1000th wildfire of the season today.
As of 9:00am today (August 21st), the seasonal count, which started on April 1st, sits at 998 fires across BC.
This includes 15 fires currently burning in the Northwest fire region, 5 of which have started in the last two days.
According to the BCÂ Wildfire Dashboard website, three of those fires are out of control.
68% of fires in the province have been caused by lightning this year, a 10% increase over the average – meaning people are starting less fires this year.
BC’s 10-year average is 1,352 fires a year, from April 1st to March 31st the next year.
Through last year’s massive heat wave, the province saw over 1600 fires, which pales in comparison to 2018’s 2,117 fires and over 1.3 million hectares burned.