Costs Continue to Climb for Wildfire Fighting
Prince George, B.C. – Battling wildfires this year has topped the $180 million dollar mark.
Fire suppression efforts yesterday alone were tallied to cost $2.6 million dollars.
Wildfire Chief Information Officer Kevin Skrepnek says there are 147 active fires in the province with 17 new fires sparked yesterday. “Certainly an increase in the number of fires per day as a lot of activity yesterday was driven by lightning activity across the province.”
There have 1418 fires in B.C. since April 1st, compared to 999 fires during the same period a year ago.
Although campfire bans have been lifted in many areas of the province, Skrepnek says it remains in the southern part of the province, where many people are heading to vacation.
“We don’t want people getting complacent as a result of the current (weather) conditions, which certainly have taken a turn for the wet for the time being.” Skrepnek says while there have been numerous lightning sparked fires, the lightning has been accompanied by a heavy dousing of rain and that has allowed initial attack teams to reach the fires before they spread..
Comments
Here’s a thought … Put the criminals to work fighting fires and aiding in the camps. Oh but
The bleeding hearts would never allow that, I forgot.
They already do that. Inmates travel around the province setting up fire camps.
Can’t have the criminals earning their way.. Keep treating them better than our seniors… Shouldn’t have mentioned our seniors, I can see Bond pondering making the seniors fight fires now, worst part is I could actually see the gov thinking of this.
The Government is not capable of coming up with any ideas of how to fight fires, hence the hefty $180 Million price tag.
Keep in mind that BC has been fighting forest fires for over 100 years. Seems it is the last 10/15 years where we seem to have lost our way.
Now we have gone so far as to bring in fire fighters from Africa. What next???
Palopu asks; What next? Answer: Temporary Foreign Worker Program?
Hey Palopu, great discussion going on under the “We are in that Other Season” political cartoon, it’s almost as if you are avoiding it… lol. Get use to avoiding Federal politics for the next 11 weeks because, in my opinion, Harper is a habitual liar.
Hey Palopu…you seem to be an expert on everything why don’t you enlighten us with your knowledge and tell us how you would go about fighting wildfires differently?? Last I checked it still takes boots on the ground to do it, and when you don’t have enough boots in your own back yard, you ask for help! Is that such a difficult concept to grasp?
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