Lightning strikes lighting up B.C. forests earlier than usual: fire official

VANCOUVER – British Columbia's Wildfire Service says lightning strikes have sparked the majority of forest fires across the province.

Fire information officer Navi Saini says 121 of the 148 fires currently burning in B.C. were caused by lightning, and the Prince George area has been hit particularly hard.

She says 55 of the 63 fires there were started by lightning.

Saini says lightning-caused fires typically happen later in the summer, and it's unusual to see so many burning this early in the season.

The Wildfire Service website says four of the province's six most notable fires that are currently burning were lit by lightning, drawing hundreds of personnel as well as helicopters and heavy equipment.

The Ministry of Forests says campfire bans will go into effect later this week in the northwest, southeast and Kamloops fire centres, while the current ban will be expanded in the coastal fire centre.