The rain this weekend might have thrown a wrench in your plans, but it has certainly reduced the fire danger rating in B.C.
The precipitation, even though it varied in different regions, was widespread throughout the province.
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According to Taylor Colman, fire information officer at the BC Wildfire Service, the rain lowered the fire rating from high and extreme to moderate in Chilcotin, the Peace Region, the South Thompson, and the Fraser Canyon.
“What that rain did was rehydrate those lighter forest fuels such as grasses, needles, brush, anything on the surface layer of the forest floor and then the duration and the amount was enough to penetrate into the deeper layers of the forest floor as well,” Colman explained in an interview with CityNews.
“Thicker fuels such as logs, the deeper layers of the forest litter, those were all rehydrated. And so that reduced the fire danger rating in those areas of concern.”
Particularly, areas that have been dealing with drought over the last few years welcomed the rain, including the province’s interior.
The BC Wildfire Service also highlights that an unusually warm and dry spring had increased the wildfire risk in those areas.
“The rain definitely brought a welcome reprieve from the dryness we had seen earlier in the spring,” Colman said.
Yet, the amount of rain was not enough to completely compensate for the lack of precipitation in March, April, and May, which saw an uptick in wildfire activity.
This trend keeps the service concerned for the upcoming summer months.
“If we look at the 10-year average, we are slightly higher in terms of wildfire starts this year. We are at 275 fires, whereas the 10-year average is 250, so slightly higher,” said Colman.
Despite counting more fires in spring, the service has recorded fewer hectares burned.
“But in terms of hectares burned this year, we are just over 4,200, and the 10-year average is 126,000. So, we are well below that 10-year average, and definitely the cooler temperatures and rain in the recent weeks have helped alleviate that concern,” she added.
For the possibility of wildfires around Vancouver that may send smoke to the Lower Mainland during the FIFA World Cup, Colman suggested checking the BC Wildfire Service App that tracks wildfire smoke across the province.
“On the map view along the top of the screen, there are a bunch of layers, and if you scroll through those, there’s a smoke forecast. So, you can see as new fires are starting, what is the smoke doing based on the wind and the heat, the convection, and you can monitor that way to see what’s coming.”
She says smoke is very dependent on the number of fires in the province, how dry the fuels are, and if that’s going to make the fires grow faster and hence produce more smoke. And of course it also depends on the wind.
For residents living in areas with high wildfire risks, she has four tips to prevent further damage to property and be prepared if evacuation orders are issued.
There are currently 16 active wildfires in B.C., with two blazes being considered out-of-control in the Cariboo region of the province.
The closest fires to the Lower Mainland are two small blazes north and east of Chilliwack and a 0.5-hectare blaze south of Ladysmith on Vancouver Island, which are all under control.
