• Thanks for stopping by. Logging in to a registered account will remove all generic ads. Please reach out with any questions or concerns.

2026 Wildfire Season

We are rapidly proceeding into 'holy crap' territory...

The Latest​

  • About 30 homes belonging to Okanagan Indian Band members have been destroyed, according to the chief. He said another 200 homes owned by non-members have also been lost.
  • Roughly 8,000 people across B.C. have been ordered to evacuate, while another 7,300 are being told to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
  • There are six major wildfires burning in B.C. as of Tuesday morning. A total of about 120 wildfires are active across the province, more than 50 of them out of control.
  • Wildfire officials are describing the conditions as "explosive and extremely dangerous." Hot temperatures and dry lightning are forecast for later this week, raising concerns that the situation could worsen.

 
Too bad that all that Manitoba and Saskatchewan flooding rain didn't fall on that part of BC.
 
We are rapidly proceeding into 'holy crap' territory...

The Latest​

  • About 30 homes belonging to Okanagan Indian Band members have been destroyed, according to the chief. He said another 200 homes owned by non-members have also been lost.
  • Roughly 8,000 people across B.C. have been ordered to evacuate, while another 7,300 are being told to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
  • There are six major wildfires burning in B.C. as of Tuesday morning. A total of about 120 wildfires are active across the province, more than 50 of them out of control.
  • Wildfire officials are describing the conditions as "explosive and extremely dangerous." Hot temperatures and dry lightning are forecast for later this week, raising concerns that the situation could worsen.

Great time for a Div ex in wainwright....i sense a retasking coming
 
Up in the Cariboo. Sounds like pilot was only crewman and was rescued but injured. Not sure of aircraft type. They are using this image of a Sikorsky, might not be accurate.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0511.jpeg
    IMG_0511.jpeg
    400.5 KB · Views: 4
Dummies... they're out there...

On weekend when southern B.C. burned, violators of fire bans were caught in the act​

On a weekend when thousands of people were forced to flee a ferocious wildfire that destroyed hundreds of homes along Okanagan Lake, others were lighting illegal fires nearby, and in other parts of British Columbia’s Interior ravaged by blazes.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service said Thursday that officers patrolling the Clinton, 70 Mile House, Okanagan Lake and Boston Bar areas — all of which have been threatened by out-of-control major fires that remain out of control — handed out 18 tickets for illegal fires over the long weekend, when hot weather and powerful winds turned some fires into infernos.

The impact of the eruption in fire activity continued Thursday, with the evacuation zone along the shores of Okanagan Lake expanding south, while a fresh contingent of 200 Mexican firefighters arrived in B.C., ahead of an expected deployment to the Brunswick complex of fires near Boston Bar.

The Conservation Officer Service said the fines were issued over the weekend in areas where fire prohibitions are in place, although it did not specify if the fires were campfires or other burns. All are banned in the areas described by the service.

 
Dummies... they're out there...

On weekend when southern B.C. burned, violators of fire bans were caught in the act​

On a weekend when thousands of people were forced to flee a ferocious wildfire that destroyed hundreds of homes along Okanagan Lake, others were lighting illegal fires nearby, and in other parts of British Columbia’s Interior ravaged by blazes.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service said Thursday that officers patrolling the Clinton, 70 Mile House, Okanagan Lake and Boston Bar areas — all of which have been threatened by out-of-control major fires that remain out of control — handed out 18 tickets for illegal fires over the long weekend, when hot weather and powerful winds turned some fires into infernos.

The impact of the eruption in fire activity continued Thursday, with the evacuation zone along the shores of Okanagan Lake expanding south, while a fresh contingent of 200 Mexican firefighters arrived in B.C., ahead of an expected deployment to the Brunswick complex of fires near Boston Bar.

The Conservation Officer Service said the fines were issued over the weekend in areas where fire prohibitions are in place, although it did not specify if the fires were campfires or other burns. All are banned in the areas described by the service.

I was in Kakabeka Falls park near Thunder Bay, and all the NW Ont fires yesterday. Apparently, before my arrival there was an incident with a fire in the provincial park. A park with a fire ban, and active monitoring from park wardens...

People are dumb.

I'm hoping the rest of my camping across the country is less impacted by idiots.
 
Dummies... they're out there...

On weekend when southern B.C. burned, violators of fire bans were caught in the act​

On a weekend when thousands of people were forced to flee a ferocious wildfire that destroyed hundreds of homes along Okanagan Lake, others were lighting illegal fires nearby, and in other parts of British Columbia’s Interior ravaged by blazes.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service said Thursday that officers patrolling the Clinton, 70 Mile House, Okanagan Lake and Boston Bar areas — all of which have been threatened by out-of-control major fires that remain out of control — handed out 18 tickets for illegal fires over the long weekend, when hot weather and powerful winds turned some fires into infernos.

The impact of the eruption in fire activity continued Thursday, with the evacuation zone along the shores of Okanagan Lake expanding south, while a fresh contingent of 200 Mexican firefighters arrived in B.C., ahead of an expected deployment to the Brunswick complex of fires near Boston Bar.

The Conservation Officer Service said the fines were issued over the weekend in areas where fire prohibitions are in place, although it did not specify if the fires were campfires or other burns. All are banned in the areas described by the service.

As the nights become cooler - it was 9C here at 4 am- the unhoused and ramblers (there so many now) will resort to campfires.

Also the extreme drought will persist through the fall, with no appreciable precipitation forecast for the next 8 weeks. This is the strongest and most intense El Niño on record.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0510.jpeg
    IMG_0510.jpeg
    337.4 KB · Views: 0
As the nights become cooler - it was 9C here at 4 am- the unhoused and ramblers (there so many now) will resort to campfires.

Also the extreme drought will persist through the fall, with no appreciable precipitation forecast for the next 8 weeks. This is the strongest and most intense El Niño on record.


That was the forecast in the spring...cooler/wet/normal spring and then a hot/dry extended fall season. Unfortunately coming true.
 
So National Preparedness Level hit level 5 August 5th for the first time...


US has been at that level for a while. Significant numbers of international resources (Mexico and fire crews, some overhead + Australia/New Zealand Overhead) in both ON and BC. Lots of resources on export from Canadian provinces and while the numbers may not always seem to be alot for some that is a major part of their resources.

Also look at the national areas burnt and total hectares. NWT has 4x the area burnt of BC....but small fires in bad locations suck up resources fast especially in the Wildland-Urban Interface areas of which BC has multiple fires burning.

Guess the message is don't look at just size or fire count but where the fires are at and the complexity of response.
 
10 retired Hercules of the 12 recently retired in January 2026 are being sold to Coulson Aviation to live a new life as firefighting aircraft.

The remaining 2 will be for public display and museums.

As noted, this doubles Coulson's current C-130 firefighting fleet.

That is awesome news for everyone involved.
Sets the tone going forward on Military Aircraft being used in Canada for Civil Aviation.
 
Back
Top