A powerful lightning storm that swept across Vancouver Island Saturday night has sparked at least 11 new wildfires, with the BC Wildfire Service warning more could emerge in the days ahead.
As of Sunday morning, 33 wildfires were active across Vancouver Island, including a cluster of newly sparked fires around the Cowichan Valley and South Island.
Mike Paramchuk, an information officer with the Coastal Fire Centre, told CHEK News that more than 2,000 lightning strikes were recorded across the fire centre as a weather system moved through the region, with most occurring Saturday night.
The storm resulted in 21 new wildfires across the Coastal Fire Centre over 24 hours, including 11 on Vancouver Island.
All 11 Island fires are either suspected to have been caused by lightning or remain under investigation, Paramchuk said.
Many of the new fires are concentrated around the Lake Cowichan and South Island areas.
Despite several being classified as out of control, most remain very small. Paramchuk said several Island fires were still listed as out of control Sunday but were estimated at less than 0.1 hectares.
“When we get lightning-caused fires like this, we do try to action pretty quickly,” he said. “Many of the fires are still quite small, and for most fires, we do have crews that have been assigned and dispatched quite quickly.”
BCWS had strategically positioned resources ahead of the storm, including activating crews and putting aviation resources on standby in areas expected to receive the most lightning.
Paramchuk said those preparations have paid off, with initial attack efforts proving successful against fires detected over the past 24 to 48 hours.
While the storm also brought significant rain to parts of Vancouver Island, the wildfire service cautions that the threat has not disappeared.
Lightning can ignite what are called “holdover fires,” which may smoulder beneath the forest floor or deep within ground fuels for hours or even days before producing enough smoke to be detected.
That means fires sparked during Saturday’s storm could still become visible in the coming days.
“Residents may notice smoke becoming visible from lightning-caused fires that were ignited overnight,” BCWS said in a Sunday bulletin.
Some warming and drying is expected early this week, potentially increasing the likelihood that holdover fires become detectable, before cooler and more unsettled weather could return later in the week.
The lightning was part of a much larger storm system that swept through B.C. More than 7,000 lightning strikes were recorded province-wide Saturday, resulting in lightning-caused fires in every southern fire centre.
As of Sunday, 181 wildfires were burning across B.C., with 67 new fires reported over the previous 24 hours.
On Vancouver Island, the storm brought heavy rain, frequent lightning and, in some locations, hail. Lightning was reported striking trees in the Cowichan Valley, including one that briefly caught fire, while a post was reportedly struck at a Ladysmith soccer field.
BCWS is asking anyone who spots smoke or a wildfire to report it by calling 1-800-663-5555, dialling *5555 from a cellphone or using the BC Wildfire Service mobile app.