(Image Credit: CFJC News)

By Sydney Chisholm

WILDFIRE SEASON

Province urges emergency preparation amid extreme heat

Jul 11, 2024 | 5:30 PM

VANCOUVER – BC’s emergency management minister says preparation will be key for British Columbians this summer.

“My message to people and communities across the province is to be prepared,” said Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Bowinn Ma during Thursday’s (July 11) news conference on provincial wildfire efforts and extreme heat.

“We had an early reminder of how rapid and unpredictable wildfires can be when people from Fort Nelson, Fort Nelson First Nation and Doig River First Nation had to evacuate their homes on short notice.”

Following a week of heat warnings issued for many regions in the province and dozens of record-breaking temperatures throughout BC, the province is implementing its emergency response plan.

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“Although the cooler weather conditions of May and June have offered a welcome reprieve so far, the recent heat has brought with it drier conditions,” said Ma, adding that a province-wide campfire ban comes into effect Friday (July 12), at noon.

“Campfire bans are critical to reducing the risk of human-caused wildfires and to allow the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) to focus its resources on naturally caused fires. These bans are not implemented lightly.”

As of 9:00 a.m. Thursday, there are 149 wildfires burning across B.C., with most of them in the Cariboo and Northeast Fire Centre regions.

“We have been extremely busy in the northeast of British Columbia really since the end of April,” said Cliff Chapman, director of operations for BCWS. “We have been cycling a significant amount of our response resources in the Fort St. John area into the Fort Nelson area to try to continue to keep those communities safe from the fires we experienced this spring.”

There are two evacuation orders in place, both in northern BC — one issued by the Fort Nelson First Nation and the other for some areas of the District of Wells. No residential properties have been impacted.

“We are now entering into a period of increasingly challenging wildfire conditions,” said Ma. “But the good news is, in addition to contracted resources, we currently have access to our full complement of firefighting personnel of more than 2,000 people, with more than 500 currently deployed on the ground doing the extraordinary work of keeping people safe. “

As the extreme heat and dry conditions are expected to continue into next week, Chapman says BCWS is working to secure additional out-of-province resources.

“We are proactively requesting additional resources to ensure that our own staff have the adequate breaks they need so they can continue into July, August, September, as we have seen in many previous fire seasons,” Chapman said.

“It’s also to ensure that we are prepared and so that we do not have to take all of our resources out of the north if we start to see fires in the central in the south of British Columbia.”

Next week, Ma will be travelling to the Interior to meet with emergency management personnel and local leadership.