‘Tremendous amount of fire’: Crews continue to face challenges in northeastern B.C.

Persistent drought and unstable weather conditions have made it difficult to contain wildfires in the northeastern part of the province, according to a BC Fire Service report released Sunday.

Fire Operations Commander Hume Murdock said that while the fires near Fort Nelson - which prompted thousands to evacuate - were getting the most attention, the entire region was seeing "a lot of fires".

According to him, a total of about 2,500 square kilometers are currently burning. The Park Lake fire and the Pottery Creek fire, which are closer to the communities and are being battled by 130 firefighters, account for only about a third of the total area burned.

"I think it's going to be a long summer," Murdoch said. "It's started early again and there seem to be a lot of fires happening early in the season and it's not just lightning that causes fires, but these leftover fires from last year are also dangerous."

Remnant fires are fires that started last year, continued to smolder over the winter, and reignited this year.

Eric Kopetsky, a fire behavior specialist, says one of the biggest challenges for fire crews is the ongoing drought, which has left many trees dry and dangerous.

He said: "The fire penetrates under these trees and we have to clear them to put out the fire, and it takes a lot of time and effort."

The main concern in the coming days is the possibility of thunderstorms that can bring lightning as well as strong winds.

According to the BC Fire Service's provincial situation report released on Sunday, "These weather conditions, combined with fuel dryness, may result in intense fire behavior, increased fire rates, and the initiation of new fires that can be contained." make the fire a problem."

Environment and Climate Change Canada also issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Fort Nelson on Sunday.

news source