We were shocked to find out that of the first 163 forest fires in BC this spring, 160 were started by humans.
We knew that, on average, BC is hit with 2,000 wildfires a year, with half caused by people and half caused by lightning.
In the worst past year to date for human-caused fires, 2011, there were 653 fires in all. Of those, 444 (68%) were started by humans.
Last year BC recorded 1,836 wildfires, covering 280,465 hectares, and the bill for firefighting was a record $277 million.
This 2016 season is off to an even earlier start than last year—and a shocking one with 98.2% of the first 163 blazes started by people.
As of today, we have 39 active fires in BC.
Let's hail the dedicated crews (more than 1,100 people) from the BC Wildfire Management Branch who tackle forest fires.
Here are some highlights from BC’s long history preserving the woods from fire damage.
1985
1979
1973 (reporting on 1938)
1970
1957