Image: Kent Simmonds / CFJC Today

By Dylana Kneeshaw

WILDFIRE WATCH

TRU wildfire researcher identifies similar factors between Los Angeles fires and past B.C. wildfires of note

Jan 9, 2025 | 5:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — People around the world have been tuned in to the multiple fires burning in the Los Angeles, Malibu and Hollywood Hills areas this week and a wildfire research specialist at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) says the ongoing disaster is an example of how climate change can influence the severity of fires.

Dr. Mike Flannigan, who is the scientific director of Thompson Rivers University’s Institute for Wildfire Science, Adaptation and Resiliency, says there are some similarities between L.A and B.C.’s Interior, with the conditions fueling the flames.

CFJC spoke with Flannigan from the Emergency Management Research building at TRU in Kamloops and this week the researcher has a keen interest in the wildfires burning in Southern California.

“This is really unusual to have such devastating large fires in Southern California in January,” he notes. “We’ve seen Santa Ana fires in January before but never this size.”

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How does watching fire data from California relate to his work in the Interior? Like all of the notable fires B.C. has dealt with since 2017, Flannigan says the Los Angeles fires have three factors at play — dry vegetation, ignition, and hot, dry, windy weather.

“We’ve burned more area in B.C. from 2017 to 2024 than during 67 years from 1950 to 2016,” he said. “An abrupt increase. And I expect this trend to continue.”

The urban aspect of what’s happening in L.A. is also of interest, as it’s one way to see how different levels of FireSmart practices and resource deployment can work. And Flannigan says FireSmarting properties is one way home owners can do something about the level of damage that could be inflicted.

“We’re seeing in Los Angeles now that they’re running out of water. And this is typically what happens when a fire enters a community. Power goes out and then the water pressure goes — so that makes it more challenging. But in high risk locations, FireSmart should be mandatory.”

Climate change can exacerbate the conditions a wildfire needs to burn and Flannigan points to the severity of modern fires as a clear example.

“I do want to say that the BC Wildfire Service, as well as Cal Fire, are among the best fire management agencies in the world. But yet, we still see more fire. California — the area burned has quintupled since the 1970s, despite spending billions of dollars every year trying to manage fire,” he said. “We’re fighting Mother Nature and we’re not winning this battle.”