Robert Gray

As a fast-growing fire near Pemberton forced an evacuation order and alerts Thursday, a veteran fire ecologist questioned whether the region’s forest-edge communities are as ready as officials say. …Robert Gray, a Chilliwack-based fire ecologist with four decades in the field, said that preparation often falls short because it’s done at too small a scale. Municipalities point to FireSmart programs — assessments that urge homeowners to clear brush, screen vents and strip flammable material from around a house to create “defensible space” — and to fuel treatments, the thinning of dense stands of trees and removal of dead wood that can carry a fire. Gray said both work only when carried out across whole neighbourhoods and the land around them. “You can do everything that’s required and you can still lose your home,” he said, if neighbouring properties and the forest beyond go untreated.