A fire ban was officially put in place for the Coastal Fire Centre, which includes the Fraser Valley, on Thursday. The ban includes category 1, 2 and 3 fires, which includes campfires and larger open fires.

It’s unusually early for a category 1 (campfire) ban — the last three years, these fires weren’t prohibited until July. But a spell of hot, dry weather in April and May has brought summer conditions to spring.

A week ago, temperature records were broken across B.C. — Abbotsford experienced temperatures more than 10C above normal.

This heat caused 10 new wildfires to start in the province during the first weekend in May, including one near Cultus Lake, which is now being held. At the time of writing, there are currently 31 active wildfires in B.C.

Jennifer Lohmeyer, Coastal Fire Centre information officer for B.C. Wildfire Service, said that, although the warming trend has increased wildfire risks, it’s “too soon to determine what type of fire season” the region will have this summer.

“The severity of the 2026 wildfire season will largely depend on the amount and frequency of spring precipitation in May and June,” said Lohmeyer.