New app tracks wildfires in B.C.

KAMLOOPS (NEWS 1130) — The B.C. Wildfire Service launched a new phone app Tuesday that tracks current the wildfire situation around the province.

The app tracks information from fire danger ratings and restrictions to active fires, park and road closures, as well as evacuation alerts and orders.

It also features a “Report a Fire” function that automatically generates map co-ordinates of your current location. Provincial Wildfire Reporting Centre staff will ask for co-ordinates when users report a wildfire.

The new app is meant to provide access to consistent, accurate and timely wildfire information throughout the province and complements the BC Wildfire Service website and social media channels.

The app map shows:

• current fire danger ratings;
• active fires;
• fires that have been declared out;
• open burning prohibitions (including campfire bans);
• evacuation alerts and evacuation orders;
• area restrictions;
• current wildfire statistics;
• perimeters of wildfires for the current season (April 1 through March 31 of the following year);
• boundaries of B.C.’s six regional fire centres;
• BC Parks closures and recreation site closures;
• wildfire search tool (search by active fire name, fire number or location);
• Drive BC events (advisories and closures).

The app also offers a “Near Me” function, displaying only information within a 50-kilometre radius of the user’s current location.

We are excited to release the official #BCWildfire Service mobile app – available now for Android and Apple (iOS) devices!
Learn more: https://t.co/X7xrb7QrJE pic.twitter.com/lSJagNFL1S

— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) May 5, 2020

News and advisories, including informational tweets from the BC Wildfire Service’s Twitter feed, are available on the app, as well. A personal Twitter account is not required to view the feed.

Advisories include those related to open burning bans and prohibitions, area restrictions, evacuation alerts and evacuation orders.

Wildfire statistics for the current wildfire season (April 1 through March 31 of the following year) are available through the app:

• a rolling total of all active wildfires;
• a rolling total of all wildfires (active and extinguished);
• the number of wildfires detected in the last two days;
• the number of wildfires detected in the last seven days.

All of these statistics can be filtered by fire centre, suspected cause, stage of control, current year fires or active fires.

“The BC Wildfire Service relies on the public to report wildfires and irresponsible behaviour that could start a wildfire,” says a release.

This reporting tool also indicates what sort of questions a person may be asked when reporting a wildfire.

The BC Wildfire Service mobile app is available for Apple (iOS) and Android devices and is free to download in the App Store and Google Play.