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The BC Wildfire Service said eight new fires had broken out in the southern regions of the area served by the Northwest Fire Centre after more than 400 lightning strikes rocked the area overnight from Friday to Sunday.

Four of the new fires are raging west of the community of Witset, where about 611 reserve members live.

The service said that although the fires were all small, assessing some of them was “challenging” due to their remote locations.

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There were more than 380 active wildfires in operation and a summary said there was a “significant risk” of lightning strikes in the southern interior, which could both start new fires and fan existing ones.

The service’s website showed that there were six notable fires, including the Hullcar Mountain wildfire, which raged about 8 miles northwest of Armstrong.

Travelers were warned of smoke that may be seen in the communities of Armstrong and Enderby as an ignition was planned on Hullcar Mountain on Saturday.

Wildfire Service Officer Darcy MacLeod said Friday that the planned ignition had to be interrupted due to thunderstorms passing by that fire, bringing adverse weather conditions.

MacLeod said crews finished building containment lines around the north side of the fire on Friday and that about 70 firefighters responded to the Hullcar Mountain wildfire over the weekend. Crews worked around the clock to make sure the containment lines held.

On Saturday, the agency also announced positive news: Wildfire suppression services said they had achieved “significant containment” along the north and southwest flanks of the wildfire in the Ponderosa FSR over the past week.

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Crews successfully conducted two planned arsons in the area by removing fuel from the forest floor, reducing the risk of uncontrolled fire spread to the south due to winds.

The fire at Ponderosa FSR continues to burn as emergency crews continue to clean up areas where fires occurred.

The province also issued an air quality warning for most of the southern interior and the north on Saturday, noting that these regions will be affected by wildfire smoke in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Other affected areas include Central and North Okanagan, Fort Nelson, Fraser Canyon, South Thompson, West Kootenay and Whistler.

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