Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Bowinn Ma. Image Credit: Government of B.C.

By Adam Berls

wildfire season

2023 most destructive wildfire season on record

Jul 18, 2023 | 2:38 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — The 2023 wildfire season is is now the most destructive on record, as around 14,000 square kilometers have burned so far.

At a press conference Tuesday morning, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, Bowinn Ma, thanked the hundreds of wildfire service personnel fighting fires across B.C. on a daily basis. Ma also thanked Devyn Gale, the 19 year old firefighter killed battling a blaze near Revelstoke last week. Ma also gave her condolences to the family.

Last week, the Minister reached out to the federal government for assistance to support the province’s response to the wildfires, and on Sunday, members of the Canadian Armed Forces arrived in B.C. A reconnaissance team is based in Prince George, working with the emergency operation centre and the B.C. Wildfire Service to determine where and how the Canadian Armed Forces can best assist with response operations.

“I’m thankful to the federal government for quickly approving our request and deploying Canadian armed Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard to aid in suppressing fires. The Canadian Armed Forces will be directly involved with fighting fires, and the Canadian Coast Guard will support the management, operations and administrative activities of the BC Wildfire Service’s Incident Command posts.” – Bowinn Ma, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness

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With the addition of the military, areas like Vanderhoof and Burns Lake will be seeing soldiers on the ground. 75 soldiers are expected to arrive in Vanderhoof Tuesday and another 75 will be arriving in Burns Lake on Wednesday, with more support expected. Soldiers on the ground in these areas will be from the Canadian Forces base in Edmonton, AB. Two helicopters and one Hercules aircraft will be provided for mobility and logistical tasks, including evacuation of isolated communities. Additionally there are, international teams from the U.S., Mexico, New Zealand in B.C. assisting with the wildfires, in addition to teams from Australia that arrived this past weekend.

Precipitation did fall in the North this past weekend, and while every bit helps, it is not nearly enough to help curb drought conditions.

“We did see a little bit of rain come through the province in the last 24 hours into some of the areas that desperately needed rain. Not all of the areas [received rain] and not enough rain. So it will give us an opportunity with suppression efforts in the next three or four days.” – Cliff Chapman, Director, Wildfire Operations, BC Wildfire Service

Officials said that quick reporting by the public has been a big help to fire crews this season and out of the nearly 400 wildfires burning this season, only 23 have been human caused. To report a wildfire, call 1-800-663-5555 or text *5555.

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Twitter: @AdamBerls

Email: Adam.Berls@pattisonmedia.com