First B.C. fire ban of the season issued as drought conditions persist

It might only be the middle of March, but the province’s concerns over drought and unseasonably warm weather mean B.C.’s first fire ban of the season has been issued.

Starting March 28, all fires bigger than a campfire are banned in the Cariboo region.

Fire Information Officer Madison Dahl tells CityNews the ban stems from a lack of precipitation and a warm winter.

“We’ve had an unseasonably dry and warm winter compounded with a very dry fall. We’re experiencing record drought throughout the province and we do have concerns about open burning,” she said.

The March fire restrictions, which also prohibit things like fireworks and sky lanterns, will likely be in place until November.

Dahl explains the Cariboo has already begun gearing up for the upcoming wildfire season.

“Almost 50 per cent of our wildfire crews have returned already. We are in the middle of preparedness and training, so it’s well underway.

“We want to give people the opportunity to fire smart their properties and also be vigilant and make sure that those fires are extinguished before the 28th.”

The fire ban announcement comes after the BC River Forecast Centre released its snowpack data earlier this month, showing that the province has the second lowest snowpack that it has ever had at this time of year.

Despite recent snowfall across parts of B.C., the province’s snowpack is still 66 per cent of normal.

David Campbell, the head of the River Forecast Centre, said that this year ties with what B.C. saw over two decades ago.

“In terms of historical context, this is tied for the second-lowest provincial March 1st snowpack that we’ve seen. The historic low was in 1977 where we had 53 per cent of normal. And then we saw in 2001 similar to what we have right now — 66 per cent,” he said March 8.

Campbell said the current situation raises the risk of drought in the months ahead but notes conditions could change as we head into the summer.