BC’s Forests Minister was in Fort St. John Tuesday as part of his tour to see first-hand, the current wildfire situation in northeast BC. Ravi Parmer is meeting this week with and BC Wildfire Service officials, experts and community leaders across the region.
Parmar started his tour through northeast BC in Fort Nelson. “I’m going there to learn directly from the community, what the people of the Northeast need from me and this government,” he said.
Parmar described the Fort Nelson region as a “disaster zone” for wildfires. He says the zone is still affected by wildfires from the past two years, and it makes the job of firefighters more difficult.
Parmar says the Prince George Fire Centre has already seen nearly 700,000 hectares of forest lost due to wildfires this year. He estimates the region could lose 30% of its forests by the end of 2025.
“For years, the Prince George Fire Centre has been dealing with severe drought brought on by climate change, this has altered the landscape and created an environment where wildfires spread further, burn hotter and last longer,” Parmar added.
The Forests Minister’s visit included an aerial tour of some of the wildfires in the region with Northern Rockies Mayor Rob Fraser and Fort Nelson First Nation Chief Archie Harrold.
The flight highlighted the impact of both active fires and past wildfire seasons on the landscape and local communities. It emphasized the need for the province to continue investing in wildfire fighting capacities.
The minister says the province is ready to spend whatever it takes to protect communities. He adds the province is more ready this year than before and says, 1300 firefighters are currently working across the province.
As part of his time in Fort St. John, Parmar stopped by the North Peace Regional Airport to visit the BC Wildfire Service Parattack Base. “Every experience like this, where firsthand knowledge is shared, better informs our response to wildfires in the future,” said Parmar.
The minister’s next stop will be in Dawson Creek to meet with the Peace River Regional District. He will also head to the Saulteau First Nation to discuss wildfire mitigation techniques, like cultural fire burns. Parmar says the province is looking to increase the use of cultural fire burns to help reduce the effects of future wildfires.
BC Wildfire Service says the province has seen 500 wildfires this year, and it currently has 76 active fires. It says 2023 was the worse wildfire season the province has seen, cumulating in close to 700 wildfires.