Dryness and high temperatures increase the risk of wildfires. Environment Canada predicted on May 31 that there will be little rain in parts of British Columbia (BC) through the second week of June, and temperatures will continue to rise.
As of June 2, the Donnie Creek wildfires are “out of control” in north-eastern BC. The BC Wildfire Service said the fires have spread over more than 230,000 hectares. This is a large scale that exceeds the annual burned area of BC in 2022, when there were relatively few wildfires. About 40 mm of rain fell at the end of May, but the momentum did not stop.
The Donnie Creek wildfires are raging 136 kilometres southeast of Fort Nelson, and an evacuation order has been issued along with a regional emergency declaration. Also on Vancouver Island, near Sayward, the Newcastle Creek wildfires have spiralled out of control, engulfing the north-eastern part of the island. The fire was discovered on the afternoon of May 29, but the BC Wildfire Service attributed it to human factors. 79 wildfires are raging across BC as of June 5.