A firefighter with the BC Wildfire Service patrols an area of fire line outside Vanderhoof, B.C., on July 17.JESSE WINTER/Reuters
British Columbia’s 2023 wildfire season became the most destructive on record by area burned this week, as officials urged water conservation measures to help lessen the impact of drought conditions affecting two-thirds of the province.
As of Tuesday, at least 13,986 square kilometres of land in B.C. had burned since the beginning of the wildfire season on April 1. That surpasses the previous record of 13,543 square kilometres, which was set in 2018. And there are still months to go in this year’s wildfire season.
At the same time, 18 of the province’s 34 water basins are at Drought Level 4, meaning adverse effects to ecosystems are likely. Four are at Drought Level 5, the highest level of severity, meaning adverse effects are almost certain to occur.
B.C. is among a wide swath of the world now grappling with record-shattering temperatures, driven by greenhouse emissions and the return of the weather phenomenon known as El Niño. Environment and Climate Change Canada has forecast warmer than average, and drier, conditions for the province in the coming weeks and months.
Bowinn Ma, the province’s Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, said the drought could worsen into the fall, and potentially persist into the next year.
“We are working across ministries to ensure that we are using all levers available to us to reduce water consumption, and this includes implementing water conservation measures throughout all government facilities,” she told a news conference on Tuesday.
Almost 900 wildfires burning across Canada as provinces and territories set record temperatures
BC Coroner issues safety alert over wildfire smoke after child’s death
“The province has also been working with communities on their water scarcity response planning for many months, and is ready to support further planning efforts throughout the drought season. We are calling on everyone in B.C., including residential and industrial water users, to reduce their water usage.”
As of Tuesday, 150 B.C. households were under evacuation orders because of wildfires, and 3,400 others were under evacuation alert in the northwest, northeast and Cariboo regions of the province. Aqam, a First Nations community located near Cranbrook, was placed under evacuation order on Monday. It has since lost homes and other buildings, Ms. Ma said.
The minister said 75 soldiers with the Canadian Armed Forces were deployed to Vanderhoof to assist with wildfire fighting efforts on Tuesday, and she said another 75 are expected to arrive in Burns Lake on Wednesday. They will join roughly 2,000 BC Wildfire Service personnel, as well as firefighters contracted from the U.S., Australia, Mexico and New Zealand.
Military personnel typically take on support roles in wildland firefighting, such as patrolling, airlifting resources, evacuating remote communities and working to prevent extinguished fires from reigniting.
While the fires continue burning, ranchers and farmers in B.C. are feeling the pressures caused by severe drought, which is threatening supplies of hay.
Kevin Boon, general manager at the BC Cattlemen’s Association, said the group surveyed members on the issue. Ninety per cent said the impacts were “severe, extreme or unprecedented,” particularly in the Williams Lake area and on Vancouver Island. Some ranchers have begun selling off cattle as they look for new sources of feed.
“It’s going to be a very tough decision for them, and it’s going to weigh very heavy on them,” Mr. Boon said.
B.C. Minister of Agriculture and Food Pam Alexis told reporters she has heard these concerns first-hand, and that her ministry is working with the BC Cattlemen’s Association and the BC Dairy Association to identify more sources of feed.
In the meantime, the province received approval for late participation in the federal AgriStability program, which helps farmers offset unexpected income losses. This means those who did not enrol before the April 30 deadline can do so now.
“This is not an easy time to be a farmer, with fires, floods, drought, extreme heat and extreme cold, animal diseases and a pandemic all within the last three years,” Ms. Alexis said.