B.C. brings in additional ‘skimmer’ planes in preparation for wildfires
Posted May 15, 2022 1:23 pm.
Last Updated May 15, 2022 1:41 pm.
Arrangements for B.C.’s wildfire season are ramping up with the arrival of six so-called “skimmer” planes in Kamloops.
The BC Wildfire Service says the planes are mostly used to douse hot spots, scooping up more than 3,000 litres of water in just 15 seconds.
While the weather across much of the province has been cooler than usual this spring, the service has recorded more than a hundred ignitions so far.
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The service recently posted its first seasonal outlook for this year, which says it’s carefully monitoring the Kamloops, Kelowna and Cranbrook areas, where precipitation in April was below normal.
The province’s wildfire season has been underway for a full month, and so far the BC Wildfire Service has recorded 86 fires, almost all of which were human-caused.
B.C. Wildfire Dashboard
The 2021 wildfire season was not kind to B.C. At the height of the season, the number of active wildfires in the province was over 300, according to statistics from BC Wildfire Service.
On June 30, 2021 the town of Lytton nearly entirely burned to ash following a massive fire. The blaze destroyed the town and impacted around 1,500 people living in the area.
From April 1, 2021 to March 28, 2022, 1,642 wildfires burned 869,279 hectares in B.C. Wildfires between April 1 to Sept. 30 cost the province over $550 million.
The Service plans on having anywhere between 1,600 and 1,800 staff this year and are usually fully staffed by May. Once the season ends, they are looking to move to a 365-day wildfire operation, where they will not only focus on wildfires, but also recovery and prevention.
– With files from the Canadian Press
