Record number of applications to join B.C. wildland firefighting teams, province says

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 20, 2025 2:44 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

The state of British Columbia says it's received a grounds fig of applications to articulation its wildfire-fighting teams.

In a media release, the state said more than 1,700 radical person applied for a occupation with the B.C. Wildfire Service, including 578 successful January alone, successful the weeks pursuing destructive wildfires successful California that were fought, successful part, with enactment from crews successful B.C.

"I'm arrogant of everyone who enactment their sanction guardant to articulation our squad and grateful to each the wildland firefighters who proceed to support america harmless twelvemonth aft year," Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said successful the release.

More than 10,800 quadrate kilometres of onshore burned successful B.C. successful the 2024 wildfire season, a large driblet from the record-setting 28,400 successful 2023 but inactive importantly much than the 10-year average. The bulk of those fires were caused by lightning.

Looking ahead, the state is inactive dealing with the interaction of ongoing drought and galore parts of the state are experiencing a low snowpack.

Crews are already responding to holdover fires that went underground implicit the wintertime and person present reemerged to smolder and merchandise fume successful the acold northeast.

In effect to prolonged wildfire seasons, the state has expanded its exertion process and accrued the fig of imperishable unit it has disposable year-round.

The state said it volition statesman hosting bootcamps for caller recruits, arsenic good arsenic First Nations that are partnering with the service, successful April. The state said there are typically astir 200 openings for caller positions with the wildfire work each season.