VANCOUVER, BC — West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund… attended the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in Vancouver as part of a panel presenting post-fire research that took place in areas devastated by the McDougall Creek blaze that devastated West Kelowna in the summer of 2023. BC Wildfire Service’s Hannah Swift, FireSmart program lead, said the project… enlisted FPInnovations to undertake the research. Greg Baxter, senior researcher for FPInnovations, said the research team wanted to find out how structures ignited, where they ignited, and how the fire spread into the structure. …Baxter said high winds drove embers to ignite structures — not the head of the wildfire itself. “The main factors contributing to ignition is the flammable materials within one and a half meters of the structure,” he said, noting cedars were a common factor. …Aside from vegetation, other contributing factors included vehicles, all-terrain vehicles and wood piles sitting against a house.