By Greg Fry

‘A sense of nervousness in the air:’ Wildfire season returns to the Cariboo

Apr 19, 2018 | 1:40 PM

100 MILE HOUSE, B.C. — The Cariboo Regional District is doing what it can to ensure its residents are prepared for the upcoming wildfire season.

It has scheduled a pair of information fairs next week to focus on emergency preparedness. The events will give residents a chance to drop by and meet with their Electoral Area directors and other agencies, including the RCMP, local fire departments and more, to discuss issues specific to their communities.

The first fair will take place at the Nazko Valley Community Centre on Tuesday and the second at the Lone Butte Community Hall on Thursday. Each meeting will run from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

“We started doing these a few years ago and basically we bring in other organizations and agencies people want to talk to,” says CRD Chair Margo Wagner. “Because of last year, we’ve geared it towards emergency preparedness and resilience.”

Wagner adds, heading into what forecasters predict will be another hot and dry summer, many are feeling a sense of foreboding.

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“It really depends on the level of devastation everybody experienced last year,” said Wagner. “I think we’re all nervous going into this summer. If you talk to the fire departments, even last fall and during the winter they were getting calls of possible wildfires. In the majority of the Cariboo, because of the amount of snow we get, we don’t get wildfires [in the winter]. So, there’s definitely a nervousness out there.”

However despite all the anxiety, Wagner gets the sense people will be prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws at them this summer.

“I think we’ve learned from last year. I see a lot more trucks with trailers on the back and branches in them. People are fire-smarting their properties and clearing debris around their homes. People will also be prepared by having all their documents in one place in case of a dry lightning strike.”

Residents can access additional wildfire and preparedness information by clicking here.