2020 was a quiet year for forest fires on the Island (thank goodness). But 2021 is already shaping up to be much worse.
First of all, it’s not your imagination—we had a really dry spring. Most of the Island got less than half the rain we normally get in April and May. Now, the Weather Network is predicting a very warm, dry summer for our Isle.
Heat and sun might help get tourism going again, but it’s not great news for fire season.
Thankfully there haven’t been too many wildfires this year.
According to Fire Information Officer Dorthe Jakobsen, a lot of this year’s fires were “totally preventable.” She told My Powell River Now that “that’s what happens on these kinds of dry blips that we get this time of year, people go out in the woods, they have a good time, they abandon their campfires, that sort of thing.”
That’s the story behind the big fire in Gold River in April.
Fire fighters from all over the Island have been preparing for this year’s fire season, but that doesn’t mean we can’t help them out.
Never leave a fire unattended, always put it out when you’re finished, and for heaven’s sake don’t throw your cigarette butts into the bush.
August is the busiest month for fire season in BC. So when you’re out and about this summer, keep an eye on the weather and an eye on your fires.
