A weather system from the Gulf of Alaska is expected to hit Vancouver Island, resulting in a shift to cooler weather and even some precipitation.
The cooler weather won’t put out any fires, but Meteorologist with Environment Canada, Brian Proctor said it will likely slow the advance of wildfires in the province.
“The cooling of the weather and the offset of precipitation, with a push of marine coastal air, will help firefighters get a better handle on things and start to get ahead of some of these fires,” said Proctor.
Proctor says, while the cooler weather will slow the advance of wildfires, the much-needed rain is still far away.
“It’s going to slow down the growth and the intensity of forest fire behaviour and allow forest firefighters to gain an upper hand,” says Proctor. “We’re probably a month away from the end of the fire season.”
Of the 67 active fires on Vancouver Island, 61 are burning north of Highway 28 near Campbell River.
To date this season, there have been 268 fires, more than 120 of which were human-caused.
