Category Archives: Forest Fires

CRANBROOK, BC — The forest and brush around the international airport at Cranbrook, B.C., has been scorched in an all-out effort to protect the vital transportation link from an encroaching wildfire, airport manager Tristen Chernove said Friday. Wildfire crews were at the Canadian Rockies International Airport in southeastern B.C. overnight Friday monitoring the fires that were purposely lit as a guard from the out-of-control St. Mary’s River fire, he said. …He said flights were arriving and departing Friday, but heavy smoke has resulted in some cancellations. The BC Wildfire Service recommended Thursday that City of Cranbrook properties and leased areas at the airport be placed under an evacuation alert. The Regional District of East Kootenay issued an evacuation alert for 71 dwellings. Earlier this week, several homes at the Cranbrook area’s Aq’am First Nation were destroyed by the same wildfire.

An out-of-control wildfire near Kamloops has triggered evacuation orders and alerts impacting hundreds of properties. On Sunday, the Ross Moore Lake wildfire was estimated at 1,800 hectares and was continuing to burn out of control. It is located roughly 24 kilometres south of Kamloops and highly visible from the city as well as the highway, according to the BC Wildfire Service. The Thompson –Nicola Regional District ordered 49 properties to evacuate Saturday and placed another 327 on alert. …The fire was discovered Friday but grew significantly Saturday due to hot, dry and windy conditions, the BCWS said in a social media post. It is suspected to be lightning caused.

©Bob Bennison

Hundreds of wildfires continue to burn in B.C, with some of the most concerning blazes now in the southern half of the province, as more international resources pour in to help with the fight.  The province is in the midst of a wildfire season that is already the worst on record when it comes to area burned, with 14,800 square kilometres charred. The B.C. Wildfire Service says some rain is expected to help firefighters in northern B.C., where most of B.C.’s fires of note — those that pose a threat to public safety or are publicly visible — are burning. However, two fires of note are burning close to communities in the Interior. One of them, the Ross Moore Lake fire south of Kamloops, B.C., more than doubled in size overnight — going from seven square kilometres to 18 square kilometres. …Just northeast of Cranbrook, more than 660 properties are on evacuation alert and 51 homes have been ordered to evacuate…

Environment Canada has issued a Special Air Quality Statement due to wildfire smoke causing poor air quality and reduced visibility. According to the Manitoba Government website, there are 47 active forest fires in Manitoba and one of them is burning out of control. That one is located north of Grand Rapids. It was detected 23 days ago, on June 29, covering 18,562 hectares. Most of the forest fires, 35, are located in northern Manitoba, while eight are burning in the western region and four are located in eastern Manitoba.

The Sierras are one of the BC Wildfire Service’s rare live-on-base unit crews. That means for most of the summer, the team of 20 firefighters live and work together nearly 24 hours a day for weeks on end. They’re often tasked with holding the line against fires that have grown too large for the more nimble initial attack teams. It’s dirty, difficult and often unglamorous work, but the bonds they form are nearly as tight as their carefully-rolled shirt sleeves. …As B.C. faces its worst wildfire season ever — and the worst in Canada — crews like the Sierras are being tested like almost never before. Resources are stretched thin, and thousands of firefighters have been called in from around the world.

Firefighters battling hundreds of blazes in British Columbia say they’ve been facing more than the usual obstacles, blaming members of the public for interfering with operations. The B.C. Wildfire Service says it’s had to deal with several people riding all-terrain vehicles around active work sites, and in one case, a drone in the air forced firefighters to halt operations. Fire information officer Donna MacPherson said Tuesday that the behaviour impacts efforts to put out fires and leaves both those interfering and firefighters at risk. She said interference on the ground pulls resources away to deal with getting the unwanted visitors out safely, and any delays in air support can affect how well a fire is fought. …the service said there have been several reports of people riding ATVs around active work sites and getting in the way of heavy equipment operators and firefighters battling multiple fires in the Burns Lake area in northwestern B.C.

ALBERTA — Carrol Johnston counted her blessings as she stood on the barren site where her home was destroyed by a fast-moving wildfire that forced her to flee her northern Alberta community two months ago. …The worst wildfire season in Canadian history is displacing Indigenous communities from Nova Scotia to British Columbia, blanketing them in thick smoke, destroying homes and forests and threatening important cultural activities like hunting, fishing and gathering native plants. …Fires aren’t uncommon on Indigenous lands, but they’re now occurring over such a widespread area that many more people are experiencing them at the same time — and some for the first time — stoking fears of what a hotter, drier future will bring, especially to communities where traditions run deep. …As of Monday, 106 wildfires have affected 93 First Nations communities this year, and there have been 64 evacuations involving almost 25,000 people, according to Indigenous Services Canada.

“These fires are some of the worst we have tackled.” That’s from Iverson Forest Management Fire Coordinator and General Manager Dayton Gilmore who told Vista Radio their group based out of Duncan on Vancouver Island has been deployed five times to the Prince George Fire Centre since May. Gilmore stated they are also able to draw on local resources here to avoid any burnout scenarios. …Due to the large number of hectares burned, crews from Mexico, Australia, and the United States have been called in to assist in the Prince George Fire Centre – something Gilmore says is a unique aspect of the job. …Gilmore added the wildfires that do occur out on Vancouver Island have lot a less sting than in the north – much of that has to do with terrain and other ecological factors. …Iverson will be offering their services until the fire season wraps up. 

British Columbia’s 2023 wildfire season has set a destructive new record, with more hectares scorched than in any year on record. The BC Wildfire Service said Monday that 1,181 fires across the province have burned more than 1.393 million hectares to date — an area about the same size as the Bahamas. That figure eclipses the 1.354 million hectares burned by 2,117 fires in the historic 2018 wildfire season. The province spent $615 million fighting fires that year, the third most expensive fire season in modern history. The 2023 figure is also nearly 3.5 times as large as the 10-year average for hectares burned, with months yet to go in the season and the province warning of the potential of a record drought. Currently, there are 384  fires burning across the province, including 22 wildfires listed as visible or threatening enough to be considered “fires of note.” The northeast has felt the brunt of the 2023 season, with 388 fires.

The number of wildfires in British Columbia continues to rise amid persistent drought, and federal aid — including military resources — is on the way.  Maps from the B.C. Wildfire Service and Emergency Management B.C. show nearly 70 wildfire-related evacuation alerts and orders as of Saturday morning.  While wildfire activity was largely concentrated in northeastern B.C. earlier this season, most blazes of note are now clustered in the Bulkley-Nechako and Cariboo regions of the central Interior, between Prince George and Terrace.  B.C.’s drought bulletin also shows nearly the whole province is experiencing drought conditions of at least Level 3 of five, with the Fort Nelson basin in the northeast, the Bulkley basin and all of Vancouver Island classified at the most severe level.  Bowinn Ma, B.C.’s minister of emergency management and climate readiness, says federal personnel will work alongside about 2,000 crew members with the B.C. Wildfire Service as they fight nearly 380 blazes burning throughout the province.

In CTV News: Military begins B.C. wildfire deployment blazes continues to climb

The provincial government has declared a state of emergency for the Stikine region as the Little Blue River wildfire continues to burn out of control.  That wildfire, believed to be caused by lightening, is now an estimated 30,000 hectares in size, according to the BC Wildfire Service. It was first discovered last week.  The Stikine region is the only unincorporated region in the province, meaning the provincial government — rather than a municipality or district — is responsible for implementing its evacuation orders.  Some 740 people live in the region, which borders Alaska and Yukon, as well as the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality, and the regional districts of Kitimat-Stikine, Peace River, and Bulkley-Nechako. Its largest town is Atlin.  The state of emergency will last two weeks unless otherwise stated, the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness said in a Monday statement. 

The Province of BC is declaring a state of emergency for the unincorporated Stikine region in response to the ongoing wildfire situation and is expanding campfire bans throughout the province. An evacuation order is in place for specific areas in the region affected by the Little Blue River wildfire. The Stikine region is B.C.’s only unincorporated region. The Province is responsible for implementing evacuation orders for the region, which requires the Province to issue a state of emergency for the region. The declaration is in effect as of Monday, July 10, 2023. Once issued, the state of emergency is initially in effect for 14 days and may be extended or rescinded as necessary. Effective July 10, category 1 campfires will be prohibited throughout B.C. with the exception of Haida Gwaii. Campfires have already been prohibited in many regions of B.C. …There are 311 active wildfires burning in the province.

The Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako and the Regional District of Cariboo have issued evacuation orders this weekend due to wildfires in British Columbia. The Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako says the danger posed by the Tsah Creek wildfire has prompted an evacuation order for all properties on either side of Highway 27 in the vicinity of Echo Lake and Bearcub FSR. …The district, along with the Saik’uz First Nation, has also ordered evacuation for all properties to the south of the Bobtail Connector and Kluskus Forest Service Roads. And on Sunday afternoon, the district issued an evacuation order due to the Parrot Lookout wildfire. …In the Cariboo Regional District, emergency alerts were issued due to wildfire risks in the Townsend Creek and Branch Road area, and one of those alerts was upgraded to an evacuation order on Sunday.

Residents living in the Ibex Valley area, east of the Takhini River, are now under an evacuation alert due to a wildfire burning near the Takhini River bridge. The Yukon’s Emergency Measures Organization issued the alert late Saturday night. The fire, which was reported at 5 p.m. Saturday, is burning about two kilometres south of the bridge, along the Alaska Highway. A helicopter, two air tankers, the Yukon Fire Marshall SHOT (Special Heavy Operations Team) group and crews from Wildland Fire Management and the Hootalinqua and Ibex Valley Volunteer Fire Departments were dispatched to respond. …As of 1 a.m. on Sunday, the fire had grown to approximately 73 hectares. It was highly visible, with smoke affecting the Ibex Valley and Whitehorse. According to the Department of Community Services, winds were favourable and did not push the fire directly toward the Alaska Highway and residences.

Dozens of lightning-sparked wildfires in the northwest over the weekend have prompted a slew of new evacuation orders and alerts. In Telkwa, properties west of the river accessed off Tatlow Road are being evacuated due to the 23 hectare Powers Creek blaze. South of Houston, on the far west edge of Francois Lake, the 130 hectare Parrot Lookout fire is also prompting an evacuation order. A pair of fires at Sheraton Creek and Stearns Creek in Tintagel are covering a combined 360 hectares. They have evacuation orders in place for the Kager Lake campsite and Boer Mountain Trails, and alerts covering the area between the fires. Now covering 300 hectares, the Tsah Creek fire is also leading to orders for properties on either side of Highway 27 near Echo Lake. More orders are in place for the area around Finger Lake, north of the Provincial Park, due to a 165 hectare blaze.

A gender reveal party gone wrong at Mount Baldy, near Oliver sparked a wildfire that was quickly extinguished by a group of locals. …Rob Iezzi and his friends were alerted to a rapidly-spreading blaze and immediately jumped into action on the afternoon of July 3. …Ironically, Iezzi and his wife, who run the Pink Palace Bed and Breakfast at the Mt. Baldy resort, were hosting their annual Firesmart event on the weekend of the incident. …Iezzi suspects that the fire was started when an explosive target called tannerite was shot during the gender reveal party. “Judging by all the pink powder, it was girl.” …The explosive is considered a Binary Exploding Target …The location of the fire is considered to be a “high” fire danger area. …Iezzi said “I thought it was just common sense not to blow things up in the woods during fire season.”

The Blueberry River First Nations had just started working to rehabilitate swaths of their territory north of Fort St. John from decades of industrial development before the Donnie Creek wildfire sparked by lightning sometime around May 12. Now, Blueberry River Chief Judy Desjarlais is unsure exactly how much of that land is engulfed by a fire that has grown to more than 5,700 square kilometres, almost twice the size of Metro Vancouver. “It felt like this was just kicking us while we were down,” Desjarlais said. “We were just going to get up, and then we were hit again.” The Donnie Creek blaze is officially B.C.’s biggest-ever forest fire and is consuming more than industry-altering amounts of timber. The land is also the traditional territory of the Blueberry River, Prophet River and Doig River First Nations. Desjarlais said elders are watching nervously as important cultural resources are being burned over.

Firefighters are busy battling more than half a dozen brush fires along the Nanaimo Parkway. Multiple fire crews were called out at approximately 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, July 4, to reports of brush fires along the parkway near the Northfield Road intersection. “Police and fire crews responded to multiple reports from witnesses that an unknown man had been seen setting fires along the walking trail that runs parallel to the Nanaimo Parkway,” noted a Nanaimo RCMP press release. An individual was located and taken into police custody at about 12:30 p.m. As many as eight fires have been identified over a two-kilometre stretch both north and south of the Northfield Road intersection.