British Columbia’s premier and public safety minister have scheduled a briefing for 1 p.m. Thursday, amid the province’s rapidly deteriorating wildfire situation.
Global News will carry the briefing with John Horgan and Mike Farnworth live here, on our Facebook Page and on BC1.
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‘The core of the village has been devastated’: Lytton, B.C. wildfire leaves trail of destruction
It comes after a fast-moving wildfire tore through the community of Lytton, leaving what local officials have described as catastrophic damage.
Two other out-of-control wildfires in the Southern Interior have also seen explosive growth.
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B.C. wildfire map 2021: Location and size of the fires burning around the province
The MacKay Creek fire, north of Lillooet, has grown to an estimated 15,000 hectares (150 square kilometres), while the Sparks Lake fire north of Kalmoops Lake has grown to 20,000 hectares (200 square kilometres).
Several other large fires are burning in central and northeastern B.C., and the province saw significant storm and lighting activity on Wednesday evening.
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Heat wave: As B.C. bakes, what role does climate change play?
The majority of British Columbia was under an “extreme” or “high” fire danger rating Thursday, as the province continues to feel the effects of an unprecedented and lengthy early-season heat wave.
That extreme heat event saw temperature records tumble across the province, and the shattering of the national all-time maximum temperature record on three consecutive days in Lytton.