| 2021 British Columbia wildfires | |
|---|---|
 Satellite imagery showing wildfires in British Columbia producing pyrocumulonimbus clouds spawning lightning strikes. | |
| Date(s) | Evacuations: 19th April 2021 |
| Location | British Columbia, Canada |
| Statistics | |
| Land use | Forest and residential |
| Impacts | |
| Deaths | 2.1 |
| Non-fatal injuries | Several |
| Structures destroyed | Unknown, Estimated 90% of Lytton, British Columbia destroyed in Lytton Creek fire,[1] Village of Monte Lake destroyed and Paxton Valley destroyed |
| Damage | Unknown |
| Ignition | |
| Cause | Lightning and Human-Caused |
The 2021 British Columbia wildfires burned across the Canadian province of British Columbia. The severity of the 2021 wildfire season has been attributed to the combination of extreme heat, lower than normal rainfall, and "repeated severe thunderstorms and lightning events" by the BC Wildfire Service,[2] and possibly exacerbated by human-caused climate change.[3][4]
As of August 16, over 1,500 fires had been recorded according to the BC Wildfire Service.[5] 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.[6][7][8][9]
- ^ Nassar, Hana Mae; Gul, Monika; James, Paul (1 July 2021). "'The situation is very, very dire': 90 per cent of Lytton burned, says BC MP". CKWX. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
- ^ "Wildfire Season Summary - Province of British Columbia". Government of British Columbia. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
southern regions (especially the Interior) received only 30 per cent of their normal June rainfall. Temperatures climbed steadily throughout June, culminating in a historic heat wave...The dryness and extreme heat raised the fire danger to extreme levels...These conditions persisted through the first half of July, making fuels increasingly susceptible to ignition. The volatility of these fuels, in combination with repeated severe thunderstorms and lightning events, contributed to multiple new wildfires, rapid fire growth, and increased rates of spread on existing wildfires.
- ^ "What you need to know about B.C. wildfires for Aug. 12". CBC News. 2020-08-12. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
- ^ "Canada's BC declares state of emergency as wildfires surge". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
- ^ "BC Wildfire Dashboard ArcGIS Dashboards". governmentofbc.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
- ^ "Wildfires of Note". bcfireinfo.for.gov.bc.ca. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
- ^ Peters, James (1 July 2021). "TNRD expands evacuation alerts near Sparks Lake wildfire". CFJC-TV. Archived from the original on 2021-07-01.
- ^ "Sparks Lake fire now estimated at 200 square kilometres in size". Kamloops This Week. 1 July 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-07-02.
- ^ "Sparks Lake wildfire remains largest in B.C." Kamloops This Week. July 14, 2021.