The 2021 British Columbia wildfires burned across the
Canadian province of
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
. The severity of the 2021 wildfire season is believed to have been caused by a "perfect storm" of environmental factors exacerbated by human-caused
climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
.
As of August 16, over 1,500 fires had been recorded according to the
BC Wildfire Service
BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) is the wildfire suppression service of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is an element of the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.
Operations
For suppression purp ...
. The Sparks Lake Fire was the largest fire burning in the province, having burned an estimated 95,980 hectares (237,172 acres) of the
Bonaparte Plateau northwest of the city of
Kamloops.
Development
A
heat dome
A heat dome is caused when atmosphere traps hot ocean air, as if bounded by a lid or cap. The upper air weather patterns are slow to move, referred to by meteorologists as an Omega block.
Creation of heat domes
In still, dry summer conditi ...
gripped the province of
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
, and much of
Western North America
Western North America is the western edge of the North American continent that borders the Pacific Ocean. It consists of Alaska at the farthest north, down through the western Canadian province of British Columbia, the western U.S. states of W ...
, from June 25–30, 2021, increasing the risk of wildfires.
On June 30,
the town of Lytton was evacuated due to a fire that destroyed most buildings and grew to over and sent people fleeing for their lives.
By July 1, 2021, almost 500 wildfires were burning across British Columbia. On July 20 the B.C. government declared a
state of emergency.
Wildfires
The following is a list of fires that burned more than , or produced significant structural damage or casualties. More up to date information is available using this interactive map
BC Wildfire Service Map
References
See also
*
List of disasters in Canada
This list of disasters in Canada includes major disasters (arranged by date), either man-made or natural, that occurred on Canadian soil.
List
Pre-1597
1597–1867
1867–1916
1917–1966
1970–2016
2017–present
See also
* Li ...
*
2021 Western North America heat wave
The 2021 Western North America heat wave was an extreme heat wave that affected much of Western North America from late June through mid-July 2021. Rapid attribution analysis found this was a 1000-year weather event, made 150 times more likely ...
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2021 wildfires in Canada
Wildfires
A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identif ...
Wildfires in British Columbia
June 2021 events in Canada
July 2021 events in Canada