As of Wednesday night BC had 248 active fires, 36 of which were designated “fires of note”
Continue readingSatellite photo, wildfires in the Northwest, July 29, 2021
The wildfires in Southeast British Columbia, Northern Washington, Northern Idaho, and Northwest Montana were putting up a lot of smoke Thursday at 7:10 p.m. PDT. NASA GOES 17.
Billions in losses, thousands could die if wildfire response unchanged: report
A team of scientists from British Columbia, the United States, and Spain say Western Canada must address the threats posed by highly destructive wildfires or face deadly consequences.
The scientists, including Mathieu Bourbonnais, assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, predict devastating wildfires such as those currently burning in B.C. and elsewhere in the country will be commonplace by 2050.
The group has released a paper predicting billions of dollars in suppression and indirect fire costs as well as hundreds or thousands of premature deaths due to exposure to wildfire smoke if climate change and fire causes are not resolved.
The warning comes as statistics from the B.C. government show 1,251 wildfires have charred more than 4,500 square kilometres of bush since the start of the fire season on April 1.
Three dozen of those blazes are considered extremely threatening or highly visible and include the 395 square kilometre fire southwest of 100 Mile House that remains out of control and prompted an evacuation alert for another 161 properties on Wednesday.
Environment Canada has issued heat warnings or special weather statements for inland sections of the north and central coasts and much of southern B.C., as the BC Wildfire Service warns the combination of high temperatures and low relative humidity will make wildfires even more intense.
Bourbonnais, who spent years working as a wildland firefighter, says in a statement that a new long-term plan is needed because it’s simplistic and insufficient to blame the wildfire crisis on the forest sector or wildland fire management agencies.
“Wildfires affect so many facets of our society and environment including health, the economy, biodiversity, ecosystem function and more,” he says in the release.
“Wildland fire management must engage additional proponents, including Indigenous Peoples, industry and communities, to help people learn to live with the realities of landscapes and ecological systems that include wildfires but, over time, work to reduce their more catastrophic effects.”
The economic and social costs of wildfire response are unsustainable, the scientists argue.
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First published by The Canadian Press
Forecast for wildfire smoke July 14 & 15, 2021
1:48 p.m. MDT July 14, 2021
Above is NOAA’s forecast for the distribution of wildfire smoke at 8 p.m. MDT July 14, 2021.
Below is the Canadian’s version of a forecast for the distribution of wildfire smoke 24 hours later, at 8 p.m. MDT July 15, 2021.
The photo below taken Wednesday morning in Northeast North Dakota shows visibility being compromised by smoke, which may have originated in Canada.
Pilot killed in Alberta helicopter crash identified
Heath Coleman of Prince George, BC
Continue readingHelicopter pilot killed in crash while fighting wildfire in Alberta
There were no other personnel on board
Continue readingCrash of firefighting helicopter in Alberta kills pilot
The pilot was the only person on board
Continue readingConair tests converted air tanker, still wearing Flybe livery
It will later be painted in Conair colors, and is one of eleven Q400’s being converted into air tankers
Continue readingWildfire northeast of Prince Albert, Sask. burns thousands of hectares, prompts evacuations
Cloverdale Fire
Continue readingLarge wildfires in Manitoba prompt smoke advisories
Multiple wildfires in Southern Manitoba grew large Monday pushed by strong winds while the temperature was high and the relative humidity was low. The smoke being produced by the blazes prompted Environment Canada to issue multiple special air quality statements Monday evening.
“Localized areas of smoke are creating reduced visibilities and poor air quality down wind of fires,” the agency said in the statement.
The areas under the air quality statement as of Monday evening include:
- Whiteshell – Lac du Bonnet – Pinawa
- Arborg – Hecla – Fisher River – Gypsumville – Ashern
- Bissett – Victoria Beach – Nopiming Provincial Park – Pine Falls
- Brandon – Neepawa – Carberry – Treherne
- Dauphin – Russell – Roblin – Winnipegosis
- Dugald – Beausejour – Grand Beach
- Grand Rapids – Waterhen
- Selkirk – Gimli – Stonewall – Woodlands
- Ste. Rose – McCreary – Alonsa – Gladstone
Four 10-person teams of firefighters are being brought in from Ontario to assist, while Quebec sent two air tankers and a bird dog aircraft.
The EA044 fire 23 Km (14 miles) west of Gypsumville seen on the map above is very close to another much larger fire. They may be all one fire separated by an area of light vegetation that cooled in between heat-detecting satellite overflights. If they are one, they cover an area of approximately 52,500 hectares (130,000 acres). About 28,300 hectares (70,000 acres) burned at that location Monday during the strong winds.
Below are forecasts produced by FireSmoke Canada for the distribution of wildfire smoke on Tuesday and Thursday. The circles with numbers indicate multiple fires at each location.
