BC Wildfires Continue To Rage On & Over 25 Were Caused By Thunderstorms

Wildfires in B.C. are heating up. After the hot and dry conditions this summer, as well as plenty of lightning storms, there are have been tons of new blazes reported. As of Monday, there are 44 active BC wildfires burning in the area.

According to the B.C. Wildfire Service, seven of them are considered out of control, including the Solco Creek fire, which is currently covering a sizeable 13.8 hectares of land east of Okanagan Falls.

The largest out of control fire is on Vancouver Island at Green Mountain, and is covering a whopping 16 hectares. 

Editor's Choice: Red Onion Salmonella Outbreak In Canada Now Includes Other Types Of Onions

It looks like thunderstorms played a significant role in the sudden rise in fires after scorching and dry conditions. 

According to government data, as of Monday, 27 of the 44 current blazes were likely caused by lightning strikes, which is an overwhelming 61% of them.

Meanwhile, four were caused by humans and the rest were unknown.

Many of the fires are also new. The B.C. Wildfire Service reports that 43% or 19 of the blazes right now were reported as freshly active. 

Since the weekend began, dozens of new wildfires were documented by locals and fire crews. 

West Kelowna also had particularly nasty looking smoke and flames coming from the Rose Valley Dam wildfire, which was reported on Sunday afternoon. 

It was initially reported as a 2-hectare fire in a tweet from B.C. Wildfire Service. 

However, it has since grown to three hectares and is also considered out of control. A 20 person team was sent to the area and are still responding to the flames. 

CBC reports that none of the fires are posing a threat to public safety.

More good news is that a good portion of them are being contained. 

About 30% are under control, compared to 16.3% that are not. 

So before you head out onto a hiking adventure into the mountains, you might want to double-check which areas have active fires burning.

Figures change and are updated every two hours, according to their info page. Considering the heat wave that many regions have been seeing, it is good to stay aware.

There have been 101 fires in the last seven days, but crews work diligently to get them out on as fast as possible. 

Although recent cases have been mainly caused by lightning, provincial data shows that most fires are caused by humans.

About 201 person-related fires were reported this year compared to just 91 caused by lightning.