While its been a slow start to the year, Coastal Fire Centre officials warn the forest fire threat is about to increase. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

changing conditions

‘Doesn’t mean the rest of the summer will be quiet:’ BC Wildfire Service braces for heatwave

Jul 2, 2024 | 3:16 PM

PARKSVILLE — A wet spring paced a slow start to the coastal forest fire season, however the BC Wildfire Service is concerned about a pending drastic shift in weather conditions.

Fire information officer Jennifer Lohmeyer with the Coastal Fire Centre (CFC) said only 30 hectares burned from less than 40 fires on the south coast, which has been welcomed news in comparison to the 85 fires and 1,400 hectares scorched between April 1 and July 2 of last year.

“With the moisture we’ve had we’ve seen fewer fire starts this year but that doesn’t mean the rest of the season will be quiet,” Lohmeyer told NanaimoNewsNOW.

She said daytime highs pushing 30 degrees later this week will lead to an elevated forest fire threat.

“We are expecting sustained higher temperatures over the next week and it only takes two or three days of warm weather to dry out those fine fuels like grass, leaves and needles — meaning there is an increased risk that new fires can ignite.”

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Forest fire danger threat in the province as of the afternoon of Tuesday, July 2. (BC Wildfire Service)

The 30 hectares burned in the CFC so far this season is far below the 10-year average of 300 hectares scorched, Lohmeyer noted.

She acknowledged that CFC unit and initial attack crews are currently assigned to other parts of the province, as well as the Yukon and Northwest Territories.

“But before deploying any of those resources we evaluate the conditions to make sure we can maintain our initial attack readiness here in the Coastal Fire Centre,” Lohmeyer said.

June was a notably wet month in many parts of the province, including the mid Island, where nearly 60 millimetres of rain fell in Nanaimo, according to Environment Canada (average is 43 mm).

Despite the rain, the updated fire danger rating for the mid-Island area as of the afternoon of Tuesday, July 2 is a mix of moderate to high.

While category two and three fires are banned in the CFC, campfires remain legal for now.

“We’re constantly re-assessing the conditions and if we determine that a campfire prohibition is needed we’ll put one in place.”

The warmest May on record was recorded in 2023, leading to an early and prolonged campfire ban implemented on June 8, 2023.

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Ian.holmes@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes