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BC storm sparks new wildfires after 7,000 lightning strikes, causes airport delays
🇨🇦 Canada /Disasters & Emergencies

BC storm sparks new wildfires after 7,000 lightning strikes, causes airport delays

From Global News · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Ongoing story
  • A strong thunderstorm system in British Columbia generated over 7,000 lightning strikes between Saturday and Sunday, sparking new wildfires across the province.
  • While some affected areas received significant precipitation that helped reduce fire behavior, 57 new fires started in the last 24 hours, with 172 active wildfires remaining.
  • The storm also caused significant flight delays and disruptions at Vancouver International Airport, with planes unable to taxi to gates for extended periods.

British Columbia is battling new wildfires ignited by a powerful thunderstorm that unleashed more than 7,000 lightning strikes over a 24-hour period. The B.C. Wildfire Service reported that "lightning-caused wildfires in all southern fire centres" emerged after the intense electrical activity between Saturday and Sunday.

There were lightning-caused wildfires in all southern fire centres yesterday after more than 7,000 strikes were recorded.

— B.C. Wildfire ServiceThe B.C. Wildfire Service stated this in its provincial situation report, explaining the cause of new fires.

Despite the high number of strikes, many areas received substantial rainfall, which helped to mitigate fire behavior and reduce the immediate risk of new ignitions. However, the service confirmed that 57 new fires began in the last day, while 15 were extinguished. As of Sunday, 172 wildfires were still active across the province.

The province anticipates a return to hot, dry, and windy conditions this week, increasing the potential for fire activity. Officials are also concerned about "holdover fires," which are lightning-caused fires that smolder undetected before becoming visible under worsening weather conditions.

We were on the tarmac for four-and-a-half hours and there was very little to no information that was relayed to the pilot that was relayed to us, so they were struggling to get information from the airport authority.

— David CooperA passenger described the extensive delays and lack of communication at Vancouver International Airport.

Beyond the wildfire threat, the storm also caused considerable disruption at Vancouver International Airport. Flights experienced lengthy delays, and arriving aircraft were stranded on the tarmac for hours due to difficulties in reaching their gates. The airport authority activated its terminal response team and called in extra staff to manage the situation, though some flight impacts continued into Sunday as recovery efforts were underway.

Although the weather has improved, some flights continue to be impacted today at YVR. We are working closely with our airport partners to support recovery of their schedule and get passengers on their way as quickly as possible.

— Vancouver International AirportThe airport addressed the disruptions caused by the storm and outlined ongoing efforts to resume normal operations.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Global News in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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