It amazes me that over the past few summers, with record temperatures and record fire levels throughout the province, that human carelessness continues to be the leading cause of wildfires.
Watching the news on Monday night and seeing the panic in the residents of Peachland as they scrambled to safety, leaving their lives behind in a two-minute evacuation order, was hard to stomach. Even more so was a news release that came across my desk earlier in the day from the Ministry of Forests and Range that stated humans caused 13 of 32 new wildfires over the weekend.
There should be concern with one human-caused fire, let alone 13. What the heck are people thinking?
Warm and dry conditions have caused the wildfire hazard to increase significantly this week. More than 62 per cent of the province's area is currently at a high or extreme fire danger rating, compared to 19 per cent at the same time last week.
While fire officials have not yet determined specific fire causes, according to the Ministry, people burning debris started five fires, and one was caused by an errant campfire not properly extinguished.
Even small fires can cause wildfires. Look no further than the unusual summer windstorm that swept through Porpoise Bay two summers ago. A power line came down, starting a small house fire, which in turn ignited the tinder-dry grass and underbrush. That escalated into a major wildfire that had fire crews from both Sechelt and the Forestry Service on high alert for days.
Although we can chalk up the cause of that fire to Mother Nature, it just goes to show how important it is that people treat all fires, regardless of the size, with care and caution. Always take the proper steps to prevent your fire from escaping. Make sure it is fully extinguished before you leave your campsite. That means make sure you have hand tools at the ready and at least eight litres of water on hand to fully extinguish them. And little things like flicking your cigarette out of your window (a scene I have witnessed more times that I can remember driving along Highway 101) is a complete no-no, yet so many people still do it. Remember that careless thing again.
Two weeks ago I wrote a story about the size restrictions of campfires. I'd like to remind folks that burning restrictions are in place across the province and only small, contained campfires no more than 0.5 metres by 0.5 metres are permitted.
I can only hope the residents on the Sunshine Coast continue to be careful when out in the woods, on the beach and in our area campsites. Be responsible and treat the outdoors with respect. It's common sense that should be easy to follow and remember, but it seems too many people are careless and aren't thinking. There are enough wildfires burning in the province. We certainly don't need one here on the Coast.
