Lightning and disaster fatigue: Wildfires have Princeton residents on edge

In Princeton, B.C., three fires burning near the town are causing heightened anxiety in a community that has seen its share of extreme weather events in recent

More than 80 families remain on evacuation alert as a wildfire threatens their homes near Princeton, B.C., with a severe thunderstorm watch now in place from Environment Canada.

The August Lake fire is on the outskirts of the town and holding at 14 hectares, with two more fires sending visible plumes of smoke into the air from the south near Manning and Cathedral provincial parks.

“It kind of feels like you’re being boxed in,” said Princeton Mayor Spencer Coyne on Monday. “There’s fatigue, you know, whenever you get these things, PTSD shows up again and there’s a level of anxiety.”

Princeton has faced several emergencies since 2017, including wildfires and flooding, prompting stress among residents waiting to see what comes next.

Earlier Monday, there was a severe wind warning to the south-east of the community, but by early afternoon that had been revoked with a thunderstorm watch issued for the Thompson-Nicola Region, as well as for the Kootenays further east.

“Severe thunderstorm watches are issued when conditions are favourable for the development of thunderstorms capable of producing damaging hail, wind or rain,” reads the bulletin from Environment Canada.

“The public is encouraged to be aware near areas of past wildfire activity. Heavy downpours can increase the risk of localized flooding, land slides and debris flows in these areas.”

According to the BC Wildfire Service, on Sunday alone there were 597 lightning strikes in the Southeast Fire Centre, though these were mostly the result of convective activity and accompanied by heavy precipitation.