More Than 60 New Wildfires Sparked by Lightning in B.C.; 50 Flights Cancelled at Vancouver Airport

More than 7,000 lightning strikes across British Columbia over the weekend sparked more than 60 new wildfires across the province. According to the B.C. Wildfire Service, around 67 new fires were reported over the past 24 hours.

However, rainfall brought by the thunderstorms helped prevent the fires from spreading, and most of the new blazes have been brought under control.

The severe thunderstorms also disrupted operations at Vancouver International Airport. For safety reasons, airport operations were suspended from 9:30 p.m. Saturday until 2:55 a.m. Sunday. The disruption left thousands of passengers stranded on aircraft and inside the terminal for hours.

At least 50 flights were cancelled at Vancouver International Airport on Sunday, while another 53 flights were delayed. Airport authorities advised passengers to check their flight status before leaving home.

According to the B.C. Wildfire Service, around 180 wildfires are currently active across the province. Since April 1, B.C. has recorded approximately 1,150 wildfires, which have affected around 465,000 hectares of land.