Out-of-province crews stay put despite cooler weather as B.C. wildfire season rages on

KAMLOOPS (NEWS 1130) – Cooler weather and some rain may have provided some relief for crews fighting wildfires around B.C., but it’s not enough to send many out-of-province and military personnel home.

Despite the state of emergency being lifted, the wildfire season rages on.

“There does still remain to be quite a bit of work before this fire season is over, and our staffing levels do reflect that,” explains Fire Information Officer Ryan Turcot. “As of today, we do have 3,320 personnel still engaged across the province. That includes just under 700 out-of-province personnel as well as upwards of 1,300 personnel from the B.C. contract community.”

Eighty members of the Canadian Armed Forces are among those staying in B.C., after spending this summer helping in wildfire efforts.

Turcot expects the Canadian Armed Forces to remain in B.C. for the next seven to 10 days. However, that timeline could be extended, if needed.

There are currently about 460 active wildfire burning across the province.

“However, when you look at the fire behaviour on these fires it’s a lot tamer than it was a couple of weeks ago,” Turcot adds.

In recent days lightning has been accompanied by precipitation, Turcot says, and there haven’t been nearly as many new fire starts per day as there were in August.

The largest wildfire of note currently burning is the Shovel Lake wildfire, sitting at an estimated 92,255 hectares.

There are wildfires that are larger, he explains, but they are no longer considered fires of note.

“Despite the fact that we’re starting to see cooler temperatures, we don’t want the public to be complacent quite yet as to the risk of starting new wildfires. It’s still important that people are adhering to any campfire bans, any open burning restrictions that might be in place for their region.”

Many campfire bans were lifted on Friday, but Turcot stresses the importance of knowing what rules apply in your area.