PlaceDossier / BC places / Wildfires / 2003

BC wildfire season 2003

In 2003, the BC Wildfire Service recorded 2,473 wildfires, and their mapped perimeters cover 233,259 ha (2,333 km²): the 11th-largest season since 1990 by area. 33 fires grew past 1,000 ha and account for 91% of that area; the largest was wildfire C50214 at 27,656 ha. Large fires reached Northern Rockies, Kelowna, Ashcroft and Barriere and 1 other municipality.

Wildfire C50214, 2003: 27,656 haWildfire K20272, 2003: 27,137 haWildfire G90239, 2003: 26,874 haWildfire K50628, 2003: 25,636 haWildfire N10470, 2003: 10,892 haWildfire K20627, 2003: 10,879 haWildfire N20321, 2003: 10,734 haWildfire N70556, 2003: 7,984 haWildfire N50617, 2003: 6,575 haWildfire K20298, 2003: 6,228 haWildfire K20624, 2003: 5,221 haWildfire K20436, 2003: 4,313 haWildfire N10689, 2003: 3,581 haWildfire N70700, 2003: 3,369 haWildfire N20269, 2003: 3,291 haWildfire N10694, 2003: 3,266 haWildfire K50661, 2003: 3,173 haWildfire N70820, 2003: 2,865 haWildfire K30605, 2003: 2,063 haWildfire N50395, 2003: 1,879 haWildfire K30333, 2003: 1,827 haWildfire K70620, 2003: 1,769 haWildfire C50199, 2003: 1,745 haWildfire K40469, 2003: 1,586 haWildfire K40358, 2003: 1,483 haWildfire K40300, 2003: 1,223 haWildfire K10306, 2003: 1,218 haWildfire N10748, 2003: 1,179 haWildfire G90083, 2003: 1,151 haWildfire K30464, 2003: 1,146 haWildfire N70562, 2003: 1,115 haWildfire C40305, 2003: 1,113 haWildfire N70474, 2003: 1,035 ha

Fires of 1,000 ha or more in 2003Other years since 1990

The 33 large fires of 2003, largest first

  1. 1C50214July 22, 2003 · Cariboo, Electoral Area J27,656 ha
  2. 2K20272July 30, 2003 · Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area O (Lower North Thompson); Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area P (Rivers and the Peaks)27,137 ha
  3. 3G90239July 26, 2003 · Northern Rockies26,874 ha
  4. 4K50628August 16, 2003 · Okanagan-Similkameen, Electoral Area E; Central Okanagan25,636 ha
  5. 5N10470August 6, 2003 · East Kootenay, Electoral Area C10,892 ha
  6. 6K20627August 15, 2003 · Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area P (Rivers and the Peaks)10,879 ha
  7. 7N20321July 31, 2003 · East Kootenay, Electoral Area F; East Kootenay, Electoral Area A10,734 ha
  8. 8N70556August 7, 2003 · Central Kootenay, Electoral Area E; Central Kootenay, Electoral Area A7,984 ha
  9. 9N50617August 10, 2003 · Central Kootenay, Electoral Area K6,575 ha
  10. 10K20298August 1, 2003 · Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area P (Rivers and the Peaks); Kamloops6,228 ha
  11. 11K20624August 15, 2003 · Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area I (Blue Sky Country); Ashcroft5,221 ha
  12. 12K20436August 6, 2003 · Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area O (Lower North Thompson); Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area A (Wells Gray Country)4,313 ha
  13. 13N10689August 14, 2003 · East Kootenay, Electoral Area A; East Kootenay, Electoral Area B3,581 ha
  14. 14N70700August 6, 2003 · Central Kootenay, Electoral Area D3,369 ha
  15. 15N20269July 30, 2003 · East Kootenay, Electoral Area G3,291 ha
  16. 16N10694August 9, 2003 · East Kootenay, Electoral Area B3,266 ha
  17. 17K50661August 22, 2003 · Okanagan-Similkameen, Electoral Area D3,173 ha
  18. 18N70820August 27, 2003 · Central Kootenay, Electoral Area A; Central Kootenay, Electoral Area B2,865 ha
  19. 19K30605August 9, 2003 · Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area E2,063 ha
  20. 20N50395August 6, 2003 · Central Kootenay, Electoral Area K1,879 ha
  21. 21K30333August 6, 2003 · Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area E1,827 ha
  22. 22K70620August 8, 2003 · Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area I (Blue Sky Country)1,769 ha
  23. 23C50199June 30, 2003 · Cariboo, Electoral Area J1,745 ha
  24. 24K40469August 7, 2003 · North Okanagan, Electoral Area F; North Okanagan, Electoral Area E1,586 ha
  25. 25K40358August 6, 2003 · North Okanagan, Electoral Area E1,483 ha
And 8 more
  1. 26K40300August 1, 2003 · Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area D1,223 ha
  2. 27K10306August 6, 2003 · Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area A (Wells Gray Country)1,218 ha
  3. 28N10748August 19, 2003 · East Kootenay, Electoral Area A1,179 ha
  4. 29G90083May 16, 2003 · Peace River, Electoral Area B; Northern Rockies1,151 ha
  5. 30K30464August 7, 2003 · Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area F1,146 ha
  6. 31N70562July 13, 2003 · Central Kootenay, Electoral Area D1,115 ha
  7. 32C40305August 6, 2003 · Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area E (Bonaparte Plateau); Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area J (Copper Desert Country)1,113 ha
  8. 33N70474August 6, 2003 · Central Kootenay, Electoral Area D1,035 ha

Under each fire: when it started and the places with the most of it. Bars compare each fire with the season's largest.

Wildfires recorded2,473
Area inside mapped perimeters233,259 ha (2,333 km²)
Fires of 1,000 ha or more33, covering 211,205 ha
Rank by area since 199011th of 36

Every fire of 1,000 ha or more since 1990, as the BC Wildfire Service mapped it. A perimeter is the fire's outer edge: patches inside it may not have burned, and the hectares are the area inside it. A fire that burned through the winter keeps the year it started. Names are the province's; a fire without one goes by its fire number. The area adds up every perimeter of the season, small fires included; where two fires' perimeters overlap, the ground is counted twice, so totals can differ from the BC Wildfire Service's season summary.

Past fire is history, not a forecast. The chance of fire on a lot today depends on what the record doesn't show: the forest and grass around it, the slope, what has been thinned or burned since, and how far it is from a fire hall.

Sources: BC Wildfire Fire Perimeters – Historical, BC Wildfire Service; BC Wildfire Fire Perimeters – Current, BC Wildfire Service; BC Wildfire Fire Incident Locations – Historical, BC Wildfire Service; BC Wildfire Fire Locations – Current, BC Wildfire Service (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), as published on October 2, 2026. Outlines simplified and places measured by PlaceDossier.

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