Northeast B.C. biggest area of concern for wildfires in 2026 season

In the annual drought and wildfire outlook from the province, information shows that the northeast part of the province remains the biggest area of concern given the ongoing, multi-year drought conditions.

Western parts of the Cariboo Fire Centre (Chilcotin) and the Kamloops Fire Centre are also experiencing moderate drought conditions and could see more fires.

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In the Interior, the snowpack is at a 40-year low, which increases the likelihood of early-season grass fires, according to the provincial government.

December 2025 was a wet and warm month, which alleviated drought conditions for the majority of B.C., including the coast and the southeast, but the severity of the 2026 wildfire season will depend on the rainfall in May and June.

Below-normal precipitation was recorded over central, northeastern and southern B.C. during October and November.

The BC Wildfire Service says that long-term guidance favours warmer than normal weather into the spring and summer, with temperatures of 0.5 to 1 C above average for April to July.

The worst wildfire season since 1990 remains 2023, when 2.84 million hectares burned in B.C.

Last year, B.C. saw more than 1,300 wildfires burning over 880,000 hectares of land.

While 2025 was not a record year for wildfires, it is still classified as a notable high-impact year.

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