The Young Creek wildfire, located in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park northeast of Bella Coola, was around 2,200 hectares in size as of Sunday afternoon. (BC Wildfire Service)

By Jordan Davidson

hot and dry

Wildfires scorching province as severe drought continues to plague Vancouver Island

Jul 18, 2023 | 3:37 PM

NANAIMO — The province provided an update on the wildfire and drought situation across B.C. on Tuesday, as Vancouver Island reached drought level 5, the most severe level on the scale.

Minister of emergency management and climate readiness Bowinn Ma was joined by members of the BC Wildfire Service, the ministry of forests and agriculture for the update.

Ma said federal help from the Canadian military is substantial, with two helicopters and a Hercules aircraft recently arriving to aid in moving equipment and personnel around and to help with any possible evacuations.

“(We’re) incredibly grateful to the federal government for moving so quickly on helping to support the wildfire efforts here in B.C. 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 Services Incident Command Post.”

At least 75 soldiers were deployed to Vanderhoof on Tuesday, while another 75 will be sent to Burns Lake on Wednesday, two areas of the B.C. interior currently hardest hit by wildfires.

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Ma said they’re unsure at the moment how long the military will be in the province, adding it’s likely more soldiers will be deployed in the near future.

While Vancouver Island has been mostly spared from wildfires compared to the rest of the province, drought conditions continue to persist.

Most of the province, except the Northwest Basin, are currently at a drought level two or higher, with all of Vancouver Island under drought level five conditions, where adverse impacts are almost certain to occur. (British Columbia Drought Information Portal)

The RDN implemented stage four water restrictions earlier this month, while the City of Nanaimo moved into stage three watering restrictions the same day.

Much of the eastern side of the mid-Island has followed suit, but not every municipality is being affected in the same way.

The municipalities of Parksville and Lantzville are currently in stage four water restrictions, while the Town of Qualicum Beach remains at stage one.

Ma said drought conditions, which have been plaguing much of the province since last year, are expected to continue throughout the summer, possibly extending into the fall and even into next year.

“We are working across ministries to ensure we are using all levers available to us to reduce water consumption, this includes implementing water conservation measures throughout all B.C. government facilities. The province has also been working with communities on their water scarcity response planning for many months, and is ready to support further planning efforts throughout the drought season.”

All British Columbians are being asked to reduce water usage, Ma emphasized.

She said the province is actively monitoring conditions and will impose mandatory restrictions if voluntary measures aren’t effective enough.

“Follow all water restrictions locally. Water your lawn sparingly, if at all. Consider taking shorter showers, turn off the tap while brushing your teeth or shaving, (and) only do full loads of dishes and laundry. Let’s commit together to being mindful of our water use.”

Ma also said these in-person updates will likely become a weekly occurrence as the wildfire season continues.

More information on drought conditions in the province can be found here, while all the up-to-date information about provincial wildfires can be found here at the BC Wildfire Service website.

Nearly 14,000 square kilometers of land has been burned in the province since April 1, nearly half the size of Vancouver Island.

The 2023 wildfire season in the province represents the most amount of land charred by wildfires in the B.C.’s history.

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