Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations - Wildfire Management Branch

Summary of Previous Fire Seasons

2011 Fire Season Summary

The 2011 fire season will go down in history as one of the slowest on record. Cool and wet conditions in the spring and early summer months resulted in minimal fire activity. Record breaking temperatures in late August and early September dried out the province and increased the danger ratings. But the number of fire starts remained low because there was very little lightning activity.

During the season, the Wildfire Management Branch was afforded the opportunity to export a record number of 2,073 personnel to out-of-province jurisdictions, including Alberta, Ontario, the Yukon, Alaska, the Northwest Territories, Manitoba, Washington, Texas, and Montana. In previous fire seasons B.C. has been supported by many of these jurisdictions, and this year provided a good opportunity to return the favour.

By the first week of September, fire danger ratings in most areas of the province were high to extreme, and these conditions persisted through until the end of the month. The most notable fire during this time only reached eight hectares in size and was mopped up within a couple days.

Due to the quiet season, the province spent considerably less ($66.7M) on firefighting, and recovered approximately $28.6M from out-of-province deployments.

The number of fires this season was three times below average, while the total area burned was 10 times less than average. Furthermore, 91 per cent of the total hectares burned this year in B.C. were consumed by one fire in the northwest of the province, the Tsigar Lake Fire.

During the fire season, Wildfire Management Branch was also able to lend out resources to other provincial jurisdictions, including Emergency Management B.C. and B.C. Highways.

There were only a handful of notable fires during this fire season. Only one fire, the Bear Creek Park Fire, in West Kelowna caused an evacuation order.

Notable 2011 Fires

Kamloops Fire Centre:

  • Eight hectare fire at Bear Creek in west Kelowna; caused the evacuation of approximately 550 people.

Northwest Fire Centre:

  • 11,000 hectare fire at Tisigar Lake, south of Yukon border; the largest single fire in the province.

Number of Fires

  • By Cause:
    • 438 caused by people
    • 208 caused by lightning
  • By Fire Centre:
    • Coastal: 90
    • Northwest: 20
    • Prince George: 105
    • Kamloops: 243
    • Southeast: 132
    • Cariboo: 56
  • Total: 646 Fires

2010 Fire Season

The 2010 fire season was somewhat unusual. Due to a dry winter and early spring, it seemed forest conditions were ripe for another devastating season. But then the spring rain started and didn’t stop until the province was soaked. Hot sunshine in July dried forest fuels quickly, but minimal lightning activity kept fire starts down.

During this time of low fire activity in the province, Wildfire Management Branch crews were sent to Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba to assist them with some very significant wildfires. It was a good opportunity for B.C.’s resources to help those who had assisted us in the 2009 season.

But on July 28, everything changed. With fire danger ratings at high to extreme, lightning storms hit the central interior and, in only four days, the number of fires province-wide nearly doubled from 600 to 1,100. Fire crews and officials were kept busy as fires rapidly consumed hectares of forests, forcing numerous evacuations throughout the Cariboo.

Conditions started to calm as mid-August approached, but it was only a brief respite. On August 18 a wind event passed through the central interior, causing significant and unprecedented growth on some fires. Nearly 100,000 hectares (one-third of the entire season’s total) were burned in only 24 hours.

But as quickly as it started, the fire season petered out. By the end of August, only one month since the lightning storm, cooler temperatures and precipitation reduced fire activity. And by the first week of September, all remaining evacuation orders and alerts were rescinded and all out-of-province personnel returned home.

While the total number of fires was less than average, the number of hectares burned was the highest it has been in at least 10 years (three times the average) at approximately 330,000 hectares.

The hardest hit areas were in the central interior (around Williams Lake, through the Chilcotin and the area south of Houston, Burns Lake and Fraser Lake) where very large fires impacted many residents.

During the fire season, Wildfire Management Branch resources, contract firefighters and emergency firefighters were used to their full capacity. Over 1,400 personnel assisted from out-of-province, including over 1,100 firefighters. Resources were brought in from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Northwest Territories, the Yukon and the United States.

The 2010 fires have cost approximately $220 million, which makes this season the third most expensive in history.

There were over 100 notable fires during this fire season, and approximately 27 of those were significant interface wildfires, which resulted in 11 evacuation orders and 16 evacuation alerts. Sadly, two airtanker pilots lost their lives in the line of duty.

Notable 2010 Fires

Kamloops Fire Centre:

  • 2,000 hectare fire at Jade Mountain, Yalakom Valley
  • 650 hectare fire at Tweddle Creek, west of Keremeos
  • 130 hectare fire at Mayson Lake, Southeast of Bonaparte Lake

Cariboo Fire Centre:

  • The Pelican Lake complex of fires north of Nazko covered a combined area of 35,506 hectares
  • The Meldrum Creek complex of fires covered a combined area of 47,293 hectares
  • The Bull Canyon complex of fires near Alexis Creek covered a combined area of 35,000 hectares.
  • 3,086 hectare fire at Heckman Pass near Tweedsmuir Park; closed Highway 20

Coastal Fire Centre:

  • 4,553 hectare fire at Dean River, north of Bella Coola

Northwest Fire Centre:

  • 40,000 hectare fire at Binta Lake, south of Burns Lake; the largest single fire in the province
  • The Houston complex of four fires southwest of Houston burned a combined 8,500 hectares
  • 35,000 hectare fire at the Cassiar Highway near the Yukon border

Prince George Fire Centre:

  • 6,102 hectare fire at Greer Creek, southwest of Vanderhoof
  • 13,087 hectare fire at Tsacha Lake, west of Tweedsmuir Park

Maps

2009 Fire Season

Fire season 2009 will go down in history as one of the busiest due to exceptional weather and fire behaviour conditions. The season started early due to above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation. As early as May, crews were battling multiple fires of note that threatened communities.

Typical June rains arrived weeks later than usual and below seasonal averages. On July 18, fires broke out in the Glenrosa and Rose Valley communities of West Kelowna, garnishing huge public and media attention. These two fires, combined with the Terrace Mountain fire west of Fintry, led to multiple evacuation orders and alerts. Fortunately, only three structures were lost on the very first day of the Glenrosa fire.

July also saw an abundance of lightning storms leading to other fires of note throughout the province. Temperatures continued to break record highs and little precipitation was received in most areas. As September began, all personnel continued to work hard to contain fires across the Kamloops and Cariboo regions. At a time when the fire season is normally wrapping up, six fires still had people out of their homes or ready to leave at a moment’s notice; the largest – the Lava Canyon fire – was nearly 55,000 hectares and growing.

As fall settled in, cooler temperatures and more precipitation finally came to the central and south interior. By mid-September fire activity slowed, evacuation orders and alerts were rescinded, and crews from out-of-province returned home. Fire season 2009 has been one of the worst in B.C.’s history, with a record number of fires and total hectares burned well above average. Another record was set in the amount of money spent. The cost of direct firefighting for the season is nearly $400 million, surpassing not only the average fire season price tag of $115.9 million, but also the previous record of most expensive season, which was during Firestorm 2003.

During the fire season, Wildfire Management Branch resources, contract fire fighters and newly trained emergency fire fighters were used to their full capacity. Over 2,500 personnel assisted from out of province, including over 1,800 firefighters. Resources were brought in from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories, the Yukon, and the United States. For the first time, we also had 25 fire specialists from the State of Victoria, Australia, and six personnel from New Zealand to aid in fire suppression efforts.

There were over 100 notable fires during this fire season: at least 27 caused evacuation orders and at least a dozen more caused evacuation alerts. While the season was long and exhausting, thankfully there was nowhere near the terrible destruction seen in 2003. Sadly, one helicopter pilot lost his life in the line of duty.

Notable 2009 Fires

Kamloops Fire Centre:

  • 400 hectare fire at Glenrosa, west Kelowna; three structures lost.
  • 200 hectare fire Rose Valley Dam, west Kelowna; led to multiple evacuations.
  • 9,277 hectare fire, Terrace Mountain, west of Fintry; multiple communities evacuated.
  • 8,045 hectare Tyaughton Lake fire, north of Goldbridge; multiple communities evacuated.
  • 3,696 hectare Mount McLean fire, west of Lillooet; led to evacuations and local state of emergency.
  • 1,597 hectare fire at Intlpam, between Lytton and Lillooet.
  • 2,042 Hell Creek fire, in the Yalakom Valley; led to evacuation orders
  • 3,025 hectare fire at Brookmere, 42 km south of Merritt; led to evacuation order for community of Brookmere.
  • 1,753 hectare Seton Portage fire, southwest of Lillooet; three structures lost.
  • 7,014 hectare fire at Big Dog Mountain, Yalakom Valley.
  • 6,045 hectare Little Dog Mountain fire, Yalakom Valley.
  • 625 hectare Scottie Creek fire, 20 km north of Cache Creek; led to evacuation.

Cariboo Fire Centre:

  • 1,000 hectare fire at 70 mile house; two homes lost.
  • 150 hectare fire at Buffalo Creek, northeast of 100 mile house; two homes lost.
  • 6,618 hectare Kluskus fire, west of Quesnel
  • 66,719 hectare (667 square kilometres) fire at Lava Canyon, in the Chilcotin; largest fire of the season, and led to evacuation orders and alerts.
  • 20,925 hectare (209 square kilometres) fire at Kelly Creek, in Edgehills Provincial Park, 20 km southwest of Clinton; two structures were lost.

Coastal Fire Centre:

  • 30 hectare Blackcomb Mountain fire; caused an evacuation of the mountain.
  • 850 and 823 hectare Pemberton Meadow complex fires; led to evacuation orders and area closures.
  • 368 hectare fire at Nuxalk Mountain; evacuated the community of Bella Coola

Prince George:

  • 23,182 hectare fire at Junction of Smith and Liard River; second largest fire of the season, which closed the Alaska Highway and caused the evacuation of three small communities.

Maps

2008 Fire Season

While there were a number of fires in 2008, the fire season was relatively quiet for the B.C Forest Service. The season began slowly, thanks to cool spring temperatures. Once a few warming trends swept through the Province through July, things were looking ripe for fire activity: long periods of little precipitation, hot temperatures, predicted dry lightning; however, the fires that were reported posed relatively few problems due to the quick response by air and ground crews, and high pressure ridges were quickly replaced with low troughs.

The Kamloops and Southeast regions saw the most activity with 1115 of the 1975 fires that burned since April 1st. Although a few blazes came close to communities and structures there were no evacuations or alerts.

In 2008, the total number of fires recorded across the province was more than the 10-year average (1975 compared with 1805), while the number of hectares burned was below average (12,743 compared with 78,643). The cost of direct fire fighting for the season was $76.2 million, which is well below the 10-year average of $108 million.

During the fire season, Ministry of Forests and Range Wildfire Management Branch resources were deployed out of province under cost-recovery agreements to assist with fire activity in California, and Alberta. When a warming and drying trend hit the province in mid-July and the risk for fire starts increased the province requested assistance from other provinces: 18 fire fighters, one area representative, and 14 aircraft from the Yukon; two fire behaviour specialists (including one trainer) and four aircraft from Alberta; and one fire behaviour specialist from Ontario.

2008 Notable Fires
  • 350-hectare Edgewood fire, 1.5kms south of Edgewood.
  • 330-hectare Fort Steele fire, Lakit Mountain, north for Fort Steele.
  • 130-hectare Jackass Mountain fire, 20kms south of Lytton, closed both lanes of traffic on the Transcanada Highway 1.
  • 30-hectare Dallas fire, Del Oro, 13kms south of Kamloops, at its most threatening point, came within metres of residences and industrial buildings. Both fire department and Forest Service crews worked extremely hard in the high temperatures to prevent the fire from spreading into the subdivision.
  • 170-hectare Perry Creek fire, 10kms south of Kimberly, 12 kms northwest of Cranbrook.

Maps

2007 Fire Season

People living in B.C.'s southeastern corner will remember the 2007 fire season most vividly. While most of the province experienced an average year with cooler temperatures and wetter weather, the southeast corner remained hot, dry and susceptible to fire.

Of the 1,590 fires recorded provincially, almost one-third burned within the Southeast Fire Centre. Many of these were large, and burned close to communities.

As well, more than half of the total hectares burned in B.C. this season were located in the Southeast region. Of the 29,412 hectares that burned provincially, 16,696 hectares burned within the Southeast.

In 2007, the total number of fires recorded across the province was just less than the 10-year average (1,590 compared with 1,683), while the number of hectares burned was well below (16,696 compared with 66,783). The cost of direct firefighting for the season was more than $108 million, exceeding the 10-year average of $95.9 million.

During the fire season, Ministry of Forests and Range Wildfire Management Branch resources were deployed out of province under cost-recovery agreements to assist with fire activity in Ontario, Quebec, Yukon, Manitoba, Alberta and Alaska. Also, in January 2007, 52 staff were sent down-under to assist with a devastating fire season in Australia, accounting for the largest international deployment in the history of the Program.

2007 Notable Fires

  • 1,520-hectare Hamil Creek fire, north of Argenta, which caused evacuation alerts
  • 572-hectare Arrow Lake/Penstock fire, southwest of Nakusp and 8 km northeast of Needles, which caused evacuation alerts and power outages to Nakusp, Fauquier and Needles
  • 2,954-hecatare Springer Creek fire north of Slocan, which caused evacuation orders and alerts
  • 3,560-hectare Pend D'oreille fire, 20 km southeast of Trail, which jumped the Pend D'oreille River and caused evacuation orders and alerts.

Maps

2006 Fire Season

Provincially, 2006 saw 2,570 wildfires that burned 139,201 hectares and cost about $159 million to manage. Historically, an average wildfire season in B.C. sees 2,000 fires, burns 66,783 hectares and costs $96 million.

The high level of activity in 2006 is because of a particularly long season (fire starts and increased behaviour started early and ended late) and very dry conditions. In an average year, nearly 1,000 wildfires in B.C. are lighting-caused while another 1,000 are caused by humans; 2006 saw more than 1,500 lightning-caused wildfires and more than 1,000 human-caused starts. Although considerably lower than the 50% average, human-caused wildfires still accounted for about 40% of all wildfires this season. The result is that 40% of all unwanted wildfires in B.C. this season were preventable.

In 2006, B.C. Forest Service Wildfire Management Branch resources were deployed out of province under cost-recovery agreements to assist with fire activity in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Yukon, Idaho, Montana, and Washington state.

2006 Notable Fires

  • 11,000-hectare Hourglass Creek fire approximately 20km northeast of Tumbler Ridge that caused an evacuation alert and evacuation order
  • 60-hectare Galiano Island fire at the south end of Galiano Island that caused an evacuation alert and voluntary evacuations
  • 130-hectare Tuktakamin Mountain fire 5 km South of Falkland that caused an evacuation alert
  • 5,460-hectare Tatoosh fire approx. 1/2 mile inside Canadian border between Manning and Cathedral Parks that caused an evacuation alert
  • 1,800-hectare Border Lake fire, less than 1km from Canada/US Border that caused an evacuation alert

Maps

2005 Fire Season

Following two particularly busy wildfire seasons (2003 and 2004), B.C.'s 2005 wildfire season was not only slow by comparison but slow compared to historical averages.

2005 saw 964 wildfires provincially. The last time B.C. had fewer than 1,000 wildfires in a season was in 1976. This year's wildfires burned 34,952 hectares and cost about $50 million to extinguish. Historically, an average wildfire season in B.C. burns 49,079 hectares and costs $87.6 million.

The reduced level of wildfire activity this season is attributed to early season rainfall and an overall reduction in lightning activity. In an average season, nearly 1,000 wildfires in B.C. are lighting-caused; 2005 saw only 383 lightning-caused wildfires.

Thanks to strong prevention and enforcement, public awareness of the hazards of wildfire has increased in recent years, resulting in a slow decline in person-caused wildfires. Human activity was responsible for an average of 1,500 fires a year in the early '90s while current ten-year averages are about 950. However, person-caused wildfires still accounted for 581 (60%) of all wildfires this season. The result is that 60% of all wildfires in B.C. this season were preventable.

2005 Notable Fires

  • 12,500-hectare fire northeast of Tatuk Lake
  • 150-hectare Winnie Flats fire near Merritt
  • 500-hectare Camp McKinney interface fire near Oliver that caused an evacuation alert and voluntary evacuations
  • 25-hectare Rose Valley interface fire on the west side of Kelowna that caused evacuation alerts and an order
  • 5,560-hectare Sleetsis Creek fire south of Spences Bridge

This year's slower wildfire season allowed fire crews and staff to assist with wildfire suppression efforts in Ontario and Quebec. The B.C. Forest Service also provided assistance to the Delta Fire Department and Greater Vancouver Regional District in suppressing a 200-hectare fire in Burns Bog. Thanks to the dedication and effort of B.C. Forest Service Protection Branch fire crews and staff, this season saw no structural losses due to wildfire.

2004 FIRE SEASON

The fire season of 2004 was a substantial fire season. When comparing totals against the ten-year average excluding 2003, 2004 had more than a 25% increase in fires (2,398 this year, 1,805 historically) and almost ten times the number of hectares burned (220,468 ha this year, 23,129 historically).

The year had two major periods of activity - the last week of June and the middle of August. June's fires made for the most significant season in northern B.C. in the last decade. Although a limited amount of damage to personal property was experienced, 2004 saw no significant interface fires, losses, or injuries.

2003 FIRE SEASON

The 2003 fire season was one of the most catastrophic in British Columbia's recorded history. Due to an extended drought in the southern half of the province, forest firefighters faced conditions never seen before in Canada.

Lightning strikes, human carelessness, and arson all contributed to igniting nearly 2,500 fires involving more than 10,000 firefighters and support personnel and burning more than 265,000 hectares (ha) at a cost of $375 million. The extreme volatility of the dry forests, compounded by the province's difficult terrain, created unprecedented fire behaviour and made fire suppression almost impossible. The ongoing fires put extreme pressure on human and equipment resources and the daily outbreak of new fires (218 fires on one day alone) added an even greater burden on suppression teams.

While fire crews often fought uncontrolled fires that travelled at more than seven km/hr, and leapt several kilometres over highways, waterways and fire breaks, human safety remained a priority and not a single firefighter was lost on the fireline. In addition, there were no civilian lives lost nor any civil unrest associated with the largest evacuation in B.C. history, which involved more than 30,000 people.

Tragically, two air tanker crew members and a helicopter pilot lost their lives and one person was seriously injured.

2003 Notable Fires

Okanagan Mountain Park

The Okanagan Mountain Park fire was the most significant interface wildfire event in BC history. The fire's final size was 25,600 hectares. Much of BC was affected by the fire but the communities of Naramata and Kelowna suffered the largest effect when the blaze caused the evacuation of 33,050 people (4,050 of these people were also evacuated for a second time) and 238 homes were lost or damaged. The fire also claimed 12 wooden trestles and damaged two other steel trestles in the historic Myra Canyon.

McLure

The McLure fire caused the devastating loss or damage of 72 homes and nine businesses. Due to this fire, 3,800 people were evacuated (880 of these people were also evacuated for a second time) from the small communities of McLure, Barriere and Louis Creek. The fire reached a final size of 26,420 hectares.

2002 FIRE SEASON

It was a moderately busy fire season for B.C. firefighters in 2002. The southern portion of the province experienced generally hot and dry weather with above-normal temperatures, while the north saw a drier cooler summer with moderate fire danger ratings. From January 1 to October 31, 2002, there were 1,729 fires, 866 caused by lightning and 863 caused by people. B.C. Forest Service crews succeeded in keeping the majority of fires smaller than four hectares. Fire numbers this season were slightly lower than the historical average of 3000 and the amount of hectares burned was dramatically lower than the 10-year average. By October 31, 2002, 8,183.6 hectares had been burned by wildland fire compared to the historic average of 23,058 hectares.

The 2002 forest fire season started slowly due to a cooler-than-normal spring. A solid snow pack, delayed melt and rain in combination with a week of hot weather in mid-June caused flooding in parts of the province. Some B.C.F.S. crews helped with sandbagging efforts.

Fire crews worked on approximately 360 spring fires which were the direct result of backyard, grass and stubble burning. However the bulk of the spring's firefighting work was done out of province, in Saskatchewan and particularly in Alberta. The first deployment of B.C. firefighters to the prairies was in late May, and crews continued to work in other provinces until July. By mid-July, continued warm and dry weather had raised the fire danger throughout the province and the full complement of firefighters was back in B.C.

The lower-than-average number of fires this year was due in part to the smaller number of lightning strikes during the summer. There were a total of 68,637 strikes in 2002, compared with 105,830 in 2001 and 122,428 in 2000. Thunderstorms did not occur to the same extent as usual this year.

As things started to quiet down in August, resource requests came in through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre and the Northwest Compact for firefighters and resources to help with the huge fires burning in Oregon and Idaho. A total of 230 firefighters, supervisory and support staff from B.C. were sent to Oregon and worked on the Biscuit Fire.

With most of the province experiencing cooler seasonal temperatures and higher humidities, especially overnight, the 2002 fire season is slowly winding down. As a result of el Niño, fall rains have not yet come to alleviate summer drought conditions in portions of southern BC and Vancouver Island. Because of this, areas in southern B.C. could still experience active burning conditions for some time in the fall. If below-normal rainfall persists, drought conditions may continue over winter and into the spring, affecting next fire season.

2002 Notable Fires

The largest fires in B.C. in the summer of 2002 were the Seton Lake, Lower Post, and Fort Ware fires.

Seton Lake K90179

The Seton Lake fire, 16 kilometres west of Lillooet, was this season's most challenging and dangerous fire. It began on July 5 and grew steadily over the next week until reaching its final size of 1,420 hectares on July 12. The communities of Seton Portage and Shalalth were only a few kilometres from the fire, but fortunately were not threatened by the blaze.

The Seton Lake fire was particularly challenging because of the lack of road access, extremely steep slopes and rough terrain creating unsafe conditions for ground crews. It took two weeks and approximately $1.2 million to suppress this fire. Much of the cost is attributed to the use of helicopters to gain access to the fire.

Lower Post R90079

This fire, located 40 kilometres north of the small community of Lower Post and 70 kilometres south of Watson Lake, was a "holdover" fire. It started as a result of a lightning strike that smoldered in the ground for several days before igniting. Detected on June 21, it grew to 1,138 hectares before being contained about six days later. It did not directly threaten the community of Lower Post, but some elderly residents were briefly removed from the community because of air quality problems caused by smoke.

Fort Ware G60204

At 2,000 hectares, this was the largest blaze in B.C. in 2002. It did not endanger lives or property. The lightning-started fire was in a remote location adjacent to Finlay-Russel Provincial Park, 30 km west of Fort Ware. B.C. Forest Service managers, working in conjunction with B.C. Parks officials, decided to let the blaze follow its natural course, while monitoring it closely. This was done for several reasons, including the fire's location, the ecological benefits of fire, reduction of available fuels in the area, and costs of fighting the fire.

2001 FIRE SEASON

The 2001 wildfire season in British Columbia was characterized by a dry weather pattern in the southern third of the province. Areas of traditionally high fire activity experienced lower fire starts throughout the season.

The 2001 fire season demonstrated once again the growing interface challenge as several fires in the southern interior region quickly spread towards homes. Very aggressive work by fire staff helped turn the fires back before homes were damaged. Had strong winds prevailed, the losses could have been catastrophic. Both situations provided the public with graphic and dramatic evidence of the capricious and dangerous nature of fire.

Three significant events in the 2001 season occurred in Friday Creek, White Swan and Moscow Creek.

The Friday Creek Fire, about 20 kilometres south of Princeton along Highway 3, started on August 11, 2001, from a fire that originated in a traveling motor home. At the height of the fire, there were over 200 firefighters, 32 pieces of heavy equipment and ten helicopters. The fire was extremely difficult to suppress due to the abundance of fuels, steep terrain and high temperatures. The fire was brought under control on September 10 and was called out on November 26. The total cost of fighting the fire was approximately six million dollars.

The Whiteswan Fire (southeast of Fairmont Hot Springs) was discovered on July 5 at a size of 1.5 hectares and was finally controlled on July 13 at a size of 300 hectares. Money spent fighting the fire was $1,275,519.

At the north end of Whiteswan Lake, the Moscow Creek fire was discovered on August 17 at 1.5 hectares and was finally brought under control on August 28 after it had grown to 2092 hectares. It cost $2,580,686 to suppress this fire.

2000 FIRE SEASON

The B.C. Forest Service was able to significantly limit the damages and costs associated with wildfires this year. In early August, near drought conditions and intense thunderstorms in the southern interior started 630 lightning-caused fires in B.C. within a 15-day period.

One of the largest command centres ever assembled in B.C. was set up in Cranbrook. About 500 fire fighters and Forest Service staff worked out of this centre which controlled all operational activities, deployment of crews and equipment, public information and interagency communications.

The accurate detection of fires and quick deployment of resources enabled the Forest Service to maintain a very high initial attack success rate. Over 96% of all fires were contained at under four hectares. Of the fires that grew beyond initial attack capability, the largest was contained at 380 hectares.

This year held significant high-risk interface fire potential. Six fires caused either tactical or cautionary evacuations of residences. In all cases, crews managed to suppress fires before significant damage or injury occurred. This type of activity is expected to increase each fire season with further development in urban wilderness interface areas. These types of fires require significant resources to suppress.

1999 Fire Season

Nineteen ninety-nine will go down in the record books as the quietest fire season this decade. B.C. Forest Service statistics show 1,214 fires since April 1. Fires damaged less than 11,900 hectares and cost about $21.2 million to suppress. Last year over the same period, fire fighters battled over 2,663 fires that damaged close to 78,000 hectares and cost approximately $150 million to extinguish. Weather determines the severity of every fire season and 1998's summer brought together a combination of prolonged hot, dry weather that Environment Canada suggests occurs about every 450 years. In 1999, spring and summer conditions were unseasonably damp and cool for most regions of the province, reducing the risk of fires.

1999 Notable Fires

* NARAMATA FIRE

The Naramata fire was one of the most potentially dangerous fires of the 1999 fire season. Twenty kilometres north of Penticton, the fire began when lightning struck the area. The fire came dangerously close to urban areas and at five hundred metres away, community members were on evacuation alert. The fire burned approximately 20 hectares. About 60 firefighters, equipment and a welcome soaking of rain helped to get the blaze under control.

* LILY LAKE FIRE

Located just fourteen kilometres Southwest of Merritt, the Lily Lake fire was an extremely aggressive one, burning approximately 110 hectares. Because of strong winds, the fire grew quickly and emergency fire crews as well as air tankers were brought in to try and diffuse the blaze. Over 128,000 litres of fire retardant were used to contain the fire and firefighters worked through the night to keep the fire under control.

1998 Fire Season

In 1998, more than 12 fires threatened and burned directly adjacent to B.C. communities making it the worst interface fire year ever. By October fire crews had responded to 2,624 fires, 1,787 (68 per cent) of which were caused by lightning. The remaining 837 (32 per cent) were triggered by human activities. The fires damaged just under 78,000 hectares and cost more than $150 million to fight. Weather is the controlling factor in the severity of a fire season and in 1998, the record-setting temperatures combined with drier than usual conditions combined to create some of the most volatile fire behaviour B.C. has ever seen. The year has gone down as one of the most damaging in terms of people and property impacted. Despite these extreme conditions, however, it is important to note that of over 2,600 fires, only 22 grew beyond Initial Attack crews. Thanks to the work of fire fighting staff, less than one per cent of the fires in 1998 turned into significant blazes, an excellent record.

1998 NOTABLE FIRES

* SALMON ARM FIRE

The Salmon Arm fire was one of the worst fires ever in the history of British Columbia. It damaged over 6,000 hectares, caused the evacuation of approximately 7,000 people, destroyed 40 buildings, and cost over $10 million to extinguish.

* TELEGRAPH CREEK FIRE

The Telegraph Creek Fire was the largest fire of the year and recent years, damaging over 25,000 hectares and forcing the periodic evacuation of some of the community's estimated 50 residents due to recurring smoke.

* TULAMEEN FIRE

The Tulameen Fire damaged over 9,000 hectares and put approximately 650 residents on evacuation alert. More than 1,200 cows had to be evacuated from this unpredictable and aggressive fire.

1997 Fire Season

In 1997, there were 1,198 fires and 2,640 hectares burned - the lowest recorded number of hectares burned.

1997 NOTABLE FIRES

In this fire season, B.C.'s biggest wildfire, fuelled by dry weather and 40 kilometre an hour winds, occurred 15 kilometres north of Lytton in late July. The severity of the fire was heightened by the mountainous terrain, surrounding sheer cliffs and dense timber, making it a difficult one to battle. This fire, which destroyed one house and threatened several others, burned 1,054 hectares and cost more than $1 million to extinguish. Other notable fires of 1997 include a blaze in Merrit that destroyed a saw mill and put 250 employees out of work, and 95 forest fires caused by a thunderstorm that roared across the province in August, scorching the earth with more than 13,000 lightning strikes. In 1997, British Columbia sent over 400 fire fighters to Ontario and Quebec to aid fire fighting efforts there. In 1996, a total of 1,489 fires burned 53,256 hectares. The total number of fires in 1995 was 4098, making it a record-breaking year for B.C.