By Spencer Sterritt

Blazing bullets: cheap ammo causing more fires in dry Island forests

Jun 1, 2018 | 4:09 PM

NANAIMO — There’s a new reason in town for the higher than normal number of fires on Vancouver Island.

The Coastal Fire Centre, which covers all of Vancouver Island and the south coast of B.C., reported 36 fires so far this year, which is up from their 10-year average of 28.

Fire information officer Donna MacPherson said they’ve noticed a curious uptick in fires caused by guns, likely due to cheaper ammo with a steel core, instead of a lead core.

“When you’ve got a steel core and it hits a rock, it has a tendency to make a spark. We’re finding more and more of these fires spark up,” she said.

For anyone out shooting in the bush, they’re asked to take their climb before leaving the shooting area and watch for any small fires which might catch.

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The advisory comes at a critical time for the Coastal Fire Centre, since June and the rain it brings is often a benchmark month for what is in store for the rest of the summer.

Unfortunately, the scattered showers predicted over the weekend and first week of the month aren’t expected to make enough of an impact.

“A few showers isn’t going to do it,” MacPherson said. “We don’t have small trees here on the coast and they take a lot of moisture. We’re hoping for sustained, heavy rain…and we’re not certain we’re going to get it.”

The uncertainty comes after a long stretch of hot, dry weather. June 1 was as dry as July 1 normally is, coming on the heels of the 4th driest May every recorded.

Environment Canada meteorologist Armel Castellan said May was also the hottest on record, with an average high of 15.4 degrees.

The high temperature has a serious impact on the area, as soil dries out earlier and snowpacks quickly melt, causing chaos like the flooding seen in the Interior.

“The impacts are very real, down to a societal level, no doubt about it.”

Castellan said hot weather earlier in the year and droughts throughout the summer will likely become the new normal for our area.

The humour of speaking about hot, dry weather on a rainy, relatively chilly Friday wasn’t lost on either Castellan or MacPherson

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit