Lightning sparks spike in B.C. wildfires, evacuation orders around Big Bar Lake

Almost 100 new blazes have been sparked across British Columbia over the last 24 hours, with most being attributed to the more than 4,000 lightning strikes reported Friday.

The BC Wildfire Service says the latest batch of fires has also led to an increase in evacuation orders and alerts.

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District said Friday that the Fiftynine Creek fire prompted an expansion of the evacuation order for both the Big Bar Lake and Meadow Lake areas. At the same time, an alert was issued for the Bonaparte Plateau.

The Cariboo Regional District says a new evacuation order was also issued for the Bowers Lake wildfire.

Earlier this week, fire officials warned that a weather system was bringing lightning and ideal conditions for starting significant fires on B.C.’s dry landscape.

Roughly three-quarters of the active fires were sparked by lightning.

An update from the wildfire service on Friday said that as the weather system moves into Alberta, officials anticipate more lightning strikes and, in the coming days, more fire starts.

More than 500 firefighters have been called in to fight fires across the province.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 18, 2026.

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