Region Archives: Canada

The number of wildfires in British Columbia has roughly doubled over the past several days, but an information officer with the BC Wildfire Service says the activity can be attributed to the annual “spring dip.” Amanda Graves says the phenomenon is caused by a decrease in moisture in the needles of coniferous trees. She says it comes shortly after the snow has melted, but before vegetation “begins to get really green.” But Graves says it’s too soon to say whether recent fires are an indicator of what’s to come this wildfire season. The BC Wildfire Service dashboard shows there were 46 active fires as of midday Monday, six of which started in the previous 24 hours and 80 per cent of which were human-caused. Graves noted that B.C. doesn’t typically get much lightning at this time of year, which explains why most fires in the spring are human-caused.

The City of Fort St. John, B.C., says people evacuated due to a wildfire on the outskirts of the community have been allowed to return home. An update posted to the city’s Facebook page at 8:45 a.m. says the fire in the Fish Creek Community Forest was moving northeast, away from the city. The fire discovered Thursday had prompted evacuations, but the city has since said the fire was not actively threatening any structures. The BC Wildfire Service website lists the fire as burning out of control and spanning 56 hectares as of 1:39 p.m. The service says it has two helicopters and 12 firefighters responding to the blaze alongside others from the local fire department. … The suspected cause of the fire is human activity.

MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY, Alberta – Provincial officials elevated the wildfire danger rating to extreme across the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area Saturday after five new wildfires ignited in the area in recent days. Parts of Mountain View County are included in the forest area, namely west of Sundre and Bergen, covering Coal Camp and Bearberry west of Range Road 60 from Township Road 312 to the north boundary of the county. “The wildfire danger is now extreme in the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area,” the province said in its May 3 update for the forest protection area. “Dead and dry vegetation continues to be a major concern, as it is highly flammable and provides an easily available fuel source for wildfires.” …On Thursday, two wildfires were discovered in the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area while three more were discovered on Friday.

As conditions across BC continue to warm up, some of the massive wildfires that burned in the province’s north last season are beginning to become active once again. Known as “overwintering fires,” these burn deep underground into the organic matter of the forest floor through the winter months, covered by snow, before resurfacing in the spring time. The BC Wildfire Service says several overwintering fires in Northern B.C. have become more active and are producing smoke. Two of the fires that crews are focusing their efforts on include one along Highway 77, north of Fort Nelson, and another along the Fort Nelson River. “Response officers are assessing whether the fire will stay within last year’s burn area or could spread further.  …These overwintering fires come as crews are also responding to a number of other fires in the northern half of the province.

Firefighters from Fort St. John and the B.C. Wildfire Service were battling a blaze that prompted evacuations late Thursday, the city said. The fire is in the Fish Creek Community Forest on the northern outskirts of the city. …The wildfire service website indicates the out-of-control blaze was discovered Thursday and spanned an estimated 0.56 square kilometres — about four times the size of Granville Island in Vancouver — as of 7:32 p.m. The suspected cause of the fire is human activity. The fire is one of nearly two dozen active across BC on Thursday, as the provincial government warned that a combination of warm, dry conditions and strong winds would raise the fire risk in southern parts of B.C. It’s one of two blazes classified as burning out of control, the other being a 1.85-square-kilometre blaze that began as two separate fires about 30 kilometres southwest of Dawson Creek, which is south of Fort St. John.

• Energetic City, by Franki Berry: Airspace closure at Fort St. John airport lifted as firefighters continue to tackle Fish Creek blaze

It might only be May 1, but wildfires are already causing problems in northeastern B.C. In one case, a cluster of fires about 30 km southwest of Dawson Creek has destroyed fibre optic cable, severing cellphone, radio and internet connections to the community of Tumbler Ridge — knocking out communications to the RCMP detachment. “Anyone in the area, or travelling through, will need to physically attend the RCMP detachment to report any issues. It is not known when the repairs will be made,” RCMP said. The fire was first discovered on Wednesday and has grown to 35 hectares in size, and is believed to have been human-caused, according to the BC Wildfire Service. It is also affecting Highway 52N, which has been reduced to single-lane alternating traffic. The BC Wildfire Service and municipal fire crews have also been deployed to deal with a new fire just outside Fort St. John.