Continued hot, dry weather sees wildfire figure in B.C. surge to more than 140

The number of wildfires in British Columbia continues to swell as hot, dry weather continues to grip the province.

The BC Wildfire Service says 142 wildfires are burning across the province as of Sunday morning, a sharp rise from 68 on Wednesday. That includes a small new wildfire, roughly .01 hectares in size, on northern Vancouver Island east of Campbell River that was discovered Sunday.

Of the 142 fires, the wildfire service says nearly 80 per cent were caused by lightning.

Service officials say the lightning potential is expected to diminish on Sunday, and while temperatures will remain hot provincewide, the coast may manage to fare slightly better with some precipitation.

The increasing number of wildfires has led to a special quality statement being issued across parts of the pro