Three small wildfires are burning west of Courtenay after a brief thunderstorm passed through the Comox Valley on June 20.
The wildfires are suspected to be the result of lightning strikes and are located in the Forbidden Plateau region.
According to the BC Wildfire Service, the largest of the three fires is 0.6 hectares in size and located three miles south-east of Mount Washington. The second largest is 0.3 hectares and located five miles south-west of Mount Washington, while the smallest is now measured at only 0.01 hectares and is in the Paradise Creek area.
(Data as of 9 a.m. June 21)
#BC saw significant lightning activity over the past 24 hrs. As a result, 98 new wildfires started today - the majority being lightning-caused. The coloured circles on the map below indicate where lightning struck today. #BCwildfire pic.twitter.com/hfCBXSn3St
— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) June 21, 2018
All three were reported the evening of June 20.
The Comox Valley was not the only region in B.C. to see lightning activity yesterday. According to the BC Wildfire Service, 98 new wildfires started yesterday, the majority of which were caused by lightning. There are currently seven wildfires burning on Vancouver Island.