Drought persists in some parts of B.C. as crews gear up for wildfire season

Michelle Gomez · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 22, 2025 4:57 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

The B.C. Wildfire Service is gearing up for the approaching season, noting drought conditions persist successful immoderate regions of the province.

A seasonal outlook from the services says a little assertive commencement to the occurrence play is expected successful the coastal and southeast regions of the province, owed to above-average precipitation this winter.

However, forecasters expect drought to persist successful B.C.'s northeast and confederate Nechako regions, elevating occurrence risk, adjacent if they person mean oregon above-average rainfall.

It said determination is besides a higher occurrence hazard successful the occidental Chilcotin area.

Much of the state is presently experiencing warmer-than-usual temperatures, said the service, but the strength of the wildfire play volition beryllium connected the magnitude of rainfall during May and June. 

According to information provided to the CBC by the B.C. Wildfire Service, determination person been less fires truthful acold this outpouring than successful erstwhile years — with the objection of 2023.

Below are the fig of fires that burned to day arsenic of April 22 implicit the past 5 years: 

The wildfire work said it already filled each vacant unit positions up of the upcoming season, with astir 1,300 firefighters, 600 imperishable enactment staff, and 300 seasonal enactment staff. 

Crews are presently completing grooming and task enactment successful their respective communities to fortify skills and summation experience, the work explained. 

It added crews person planned 88 prescribed fires for the year, 25 of which person already been afloat oregon partially completed. 

'Now is the time'

Households should commencement preparing for occurrence season, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Kelly Greene said astatine a news conference past week. 

"Everyone has a relation to play," said Greene. "Now is the clip to make a drawback and spell container and make that exigency plan."

Households tin usage the province's exigency resource tool to marque a program and larn however to physique an exigency kit and grab-and-go bag. 

Greene said present is besides the clip for radical to get security — beryllium it location security oregon renter's insurance. 

"When wildfires are burning nearby, it tin go excessively precocious to get insurance, and that's wherefore present is the time," she said.