FIle Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Connor Gunn

FIRE SEASON

Wildfire Service predicts less extreme fire season for B.C. than 2021

Jun 3, 2022 | 3:58 PM

KAMLOOPS — After an extreme fire season in BC in 2021, the province is predicting a less severe fire season this year.

Last summer, many parts of the province saw towns and forests go up in flames.

Parts of B.C. broke temperature heat records last summer; in Kamloops, the temperature reached 47 degrees on June 30. That same day, the village of Lytton reached nearly 50 degrees.

Friday (June 3), the province outlined its predictions for this year’s summer season. Lead Forecaster from the B.C. Wildfire Service Matt MacDonald says the province felt a heat dome last year which contributed to the extreme temperatures.

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He says the odds of that occurring again this summer isn’t likely.

“As our climate continues to change we can definitely expect a higher frequency some studies have shown that we can expect these heat dome-like signatures to present themselves perhaps once in a decade. While the likelihood of that occurring this summer is very low, it’s not impossible and again the forecast ability of is only possible upwards of approximately a week and a half to two weeks but right now there’s nothing like that on the horizon but we’ll be keeping a close eye on that in the summer months.”

He says B.C. residents can possibly be optimistic as lightning strikes that start fires are down significantly compared to the 10-year average.

Lightning starts are one of the main causes of wildfires in the province. MacDonald says typically, 50 per cent of fires are from lightning strikes and the other 50 per cent are human-caused.

B.C. Forests Minister Katrine Conroy says, in order for residents to have a mild fire season, people have to do their part.

“We can encourage people to be smart, to be safe, to put out your campfires, put out your cigarettes before you throw them out. These fires can go up very quickly. It’s the simple things to think about when they’re in their communities and in the forest — to be careful, to care, to make sure you are not a cause of the fires.”

Conroy says last year’s fire season may have opened up people’s eyes to the devastating outcomes a fire can cause.

“I think people are recognizing that since we’ve had some of the worst fires in the history of the province in the last five years people recognize that everybody is responsible, everybody has to take a proactive approach towards it so that we can stop it so hopefully people can get that message and we’ll have fewer and fewer fires caused by individuals this year.”

The full prediction presentation can be found on the Province of BC YouTube.