Firefighters from Brazil sit on a Royal Canadian Air Force Hercules aircraft at Abbotsford International Airport, in Abbotsford, B.C., on July 23 as they prepare for a flight to Prince George where they will be deployed to various areas to assist with the wildfires burning in the province. The 100 firefighters from Brazil will join the approximately 500 international firefighters who are already in the province assisting more than 2,000 provincial personnel battling hundreds of fires.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
British Columbia is pleading with curious onlookers to stay away from areas where crews are fighting wildfires, noting drones in the sky and crowds of people on the ground can have deadly consequences.
There are over 1,000 active wildfires across the country, with the bulk of them burning in B.C. The province has classified 23 of its 484 blazes as fires of note, meaning they are highly visible or pose a potential threat to public safety.
Local authorities issued more evacuation orders and alerts over the weekend, while BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) warned the public on social media that its firefighting efforts can be hampered as people clamour for a closer look.
Wildfires have destroyed 11.5 million hectares across the country so far this year, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Environment Canada on Sunday issued heat warnings for Boundary, North Thompson and Kootenay Lake, three regions in B.C. where fires are burning. Heat warnings also blanket southern and central Alberta and Saskatchewan. Heat waves, wildfires and other climate hazards have intensified across North America, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma told a news conference Sunday that it will take weeks to measure the fallout from the hot, dry summer.
“What we’re seeing here in British Columbia is a combination of extreme weather events that are creating enormous concern for myself as minister, and in our government over all, and one of those concerns absolutely is the extreme drought,” Ms. Ma said. “A lot of the impacts of what we are forecasting will likely not be felt by communities for many weeks yet.”
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The struggle to fight fires is further exacerbated by citizens trying to see the blazes – and the efforts to contain them – for themselves.
In the Penticton fire zone, an unauthorized drone on Friday came in “dangerous proximity to a crew and helicopter responding to an incident,” BCWS said.
“If a drone collides with firefighting aircraft, the consequences could be deadly,” the agency said on social media.
BCWS noted anyone interfering with wildfire control efforts, including flying drones, can face penalties up to $100,000, as well as up to a year in jail.
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Efforts to suppress the St. Mary’s River fire near Cranbrook were threatened over the weekend by the “large volume of residents” gathered in one spot near the fire, with people on foot and in vehicles blocking the only access road, according to BCWS.
The St. Mary’s River fire, which started July 17, measured 4,093 hectares as of Saturday. The Regional District of East Kootenay on Saturday issued an evacuation alert for over 500 dwellings, up from the roughly 100 dwellings that were previously warned to be ready to make a quick escape.
The ʔaq’am First Nation issued an evacuation order for 52 dwellings last week. It said seven homes were lost to the fire.
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Ms. Ma said the province is “constantly assessing whether a state of provincial emergency would be beneficial,” but officials feel they have the necessary tools, aid and legislation in place to respond to the current situation.
She said the fires burning near Kamloops are concerning. The Ross Moore Lake fire was detected Friday and is now about 13 kilometres south of the city. It more than doubled in size over Saturday night.
BCWS said the blaze is now “highly visible” from the city and surrounding areas and the Thompson Nicola Regional District ordered people in 49 properties out of their homes, as about 330 others remain on alert.
With reports from The Canadian Press