An Expensive Year for Wildfires
Prince George, B.C. – 2014 will be remembered as a costly one for wildfires in this province.
In an email to 250 News, spokesperson Susie Lassek with the Prince George Fire Centre says as of Monday this week there had been 314 fires in just this region alone costing the province $43,515,577.
Put into perspective, she says the 10 year average (2004-2013) is 285 fires per year in the PG Fire Centre with costs averaging $7,862,007.
"The high cost this year is due to the large fires that have required sustained action over a number of weeks. For example, the Mount McAllister fire near Chetwynd has over 117 firefighters, 13 helicopters and 15 pieces of heavy equipment and another 100 firefighters arriving Monday," says Lassek.
Provincially, she says there has been 1,102 fires (as of Monday, August 11th) which is just shy of the 1,246 fires that burned in all of 2013. In fact this year 250,093 hectares of forest have already burned compared to just 9,304 all of last season (The 10 year average is 69,065 hectares).
And the total cost of fires provincially has already hit $171,102,332. That compares to $88,334,239 in 2013 (The 10 year average was not available).
And in case you were wondering the total amount of money budgeted for fires this year was $63,000,000.
Comments
Acres burned by wildfire in the State of Washington projected to increase by 50 percent by 2020 with an annual cost of fighting wildfires that may exceed $75 million. Increased carbon dioxide will mean bigger trees, while higher temperatures increase the incidence of wildfire. The number of acres burned will increase by 50 percent by 2020 and by 100 percent by 2040, so the annual cost of fighting wildfires may exceed $75 million by 2020 – 50 percent higher than the current exenditures. That cost will double by 2040.
http://www.global-warming-forecasts.com/wildfires-climate-change-fire-forest-fires.php
What applies to Washington State applies to BC.
Enjoy this beautifully hot weather everyone. :-D
So peeps how long until we are cooked?
All the dead pine beetle doesn’t help.
Forest practices a big factor
Silver Sands North of the Pine Pass burnt down on the weekend, and they had to hit it with the water bomber to put the fire out as they had no fire coverage in the area. Owners had no insurance so its a big loss for them. The lodge was a historical building as well and a common reference point used for that highway.
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