The Warring States of NPF - Canada Meet Forest Fire; Forest Fire, Canada.

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Canada Meet Forest Fire; Forest Fire, Canada.

uo if you haven't heard, British Columbia is on fire. And it's not a piddly little thing, either. The last time this happened, I think it was a few years ago in Kamloops, where the smoke was so thick that you couldn't drive through the town with a crack in the car's windows, or you'd be coughing for literally miles.

We've even asked Australia for help. It's getting a little worrying. And with nature causing more fires... well, nature's got several people running scared. And this sadly looks to be just the beginning.

So yeah. Canada, or more specifically, British Columbia, is on fire. Which is a bit scary, because I live here.

I live in alberta and we shall send you our rain right now to assist in fighting this fire, mostly cause I hate rain and also cause it might help.

Please, PLEASE take some of Ottawa's rain away.

I am confident the rains we've gotten in the past month would douse these flames with ease. Ease I tell you!

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So yeah. Canada, or more specifically, British Columbia, is on fire.

I advise cutting BC off and setting it adrift.

Can't - Vancouver Island would stop it.

Or be smashed. One of the two. Either way, I predict an earthquake or two.

With BC gone, Operation Burn Out The NDP can move into phase three.

All kidding aside, I'm actually pretty worried. We've quite literally had no rain since a few showers in the beginning of summer, and I live in a wooded community with a small-town fire department.

Adding on to that, there's been a few fire trucks rushing to and fro in Qualicum, where I live, and in Sidney, where I'm moving to. ...All in all it's pretty crummy.

Fact time!

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Australian and New Zealand firefighters are to help battle forest fires that are sweeping through Western Canada and threatening a historic gold rush town, a statement said Tuesday.

Twenty-two from Australia and eight from New Zealand are scheduled to arrive Thursday, and would be assigned to fire duties by the weekend, British Columbia's forests ministry announced.

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There are some 2,000 provincial forests ministry staff, 750 local contractors and 850 firefighters from out-of-province fighting blazes in British Columbia or supporting those efforts.

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Hundreds of new fires have been reported in the past few days and crews just can't keep up, information officer Radha Fisher said yesterday. "There are a lot of fires burning out there and, right now, we have to prioritize."

Gusting winds fanned dangerous fires on the outskirts of several municipalities overnight into yesterday, forcing a new round of evacuations and more than doubling the number of British Columbians driven from their homes by advancing flames to more than 5,300.

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More than 2,000 wildfires have been reported this year, with most of August, a traditionally fire-prone month, still to come. Costs to date have totalled $110-million, nearly twice the province's initial budget.

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Once a fire starts, it doesn't take long for it to take off. Residents of the small community of Seton Portage had to be quickly evacuated late yesterday, for instance, when a fire went from discovery to a 400-hectare inferno in about 60 minutes. "That's unbelievable. It's scary," Ms. Fisher said.

Unlike previous bad years when outbreaks have generally been concentrated in one or two regions, fires and hazardous-risk warnings cover nearly all of British Columbia.

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Residents were asked to turn off their sprinklers and automated watering systems to conserve water for the firefighters.

My roommate was vacationing in BC when this happened. He was recording the lightening storm on his cell phone and got to see that monstrous horizontal bolt that was on the front of the Vancouver Sun. XD

Please, please, please take some of Ontario's rain. It has rained like 4-5 days each week for the past 4 weeks. I mean, I think rain is pretty and all, but every time I want to go grocery shopping or run an errand an entire lake is dumped on me. XD I've even seen hail a couple times...

Edit: So far only Canadians have posted in this thread. Which isn't surprising- it just amuses me.

Poor Poor BC, seriously though, I just got a leak in my roof so take the rain in alberta!!!! PLEASE!!!

And don't worry Siel, if you see fire coming to you just run to alberta. The rain will save you.

How close is it to you?

Here's what Google came up with when I typed in a few words.

I'm in Qualicum, so I'm not even on the same land mass.

What's worrying to me is that while I can't speak for anywhere else, we've had no rain at all in Qualicum, and a few lightning flashes, and a few fire trucks a night, as opposed to the... um... zero that go by usually.

What The #!%* Is The Deal With B.C's Forest Fires? by The National Post.

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In this occasional feature, the Post tells you everything you need to know about a complicated issue. Today, Kathryn Blaze Carlson on B.C. wildfires

Q. Why are there so many fires this year? Why is it taking so long to contain them?
A. �What�s different this year is that we�re seeing high and extreme danger ratings across the province,� said B.C. fire information officer Alyson Couch. �Usually, the hot, dry conditions are concentrated in one area, often the south.� Ms. Couch also notes that while lightning typically causes half the province�s annual fires, this year they are responsible for nearly 70%.

Q. Are the fires currently burning in the province connected?
A. Yes and no. The hundreds of fires raging in the province � though varying in size � are separate entities. But, as Ms. Couch explains, �Sometimes there will be a large fire whose sparks will fly and cause a small spot-fire nearby.� Of the roughly 800 fires burning today, about 40 pose an immediate threat to communities.

Q. How, exactly, does the weather affect wildfires?
A. The components to watch are wind, temperature and humidity. Wind not only spreads the fire, but also provides additional oxygen. According to the ministry�s website, nighttime winds are not as strong as daytime winds, which explains why evenings often bring progress in containing a fire. Temperature affects how quickly the fuels take to the fire. Humidity, meanwhile, determines how freely the fuels will burn.

Q. What is the average life of a wildfire?
A. �It depends on the conditions and where it�s burning.� Ms. Couch said fires can even burn underground and pop up unexpectedly. �Fires can smoulder right down into the root system for days, weeks, even years, and they can travel that way as well,� she explained. �A fire could even be sparked by lightning one day, stay underground for a while, and then pop up. We call these �hangover fires.��

Q. How do the fire retardants dropped by air-tankers actually work?
A. Water-soluble retardants contain ammonium salts that char when they come into contact with flames. The charring reaction releases a water and carbon dioxide combination that cools and suffocates the fire. Foam retardants, meanwhile, are likened to dish soap because they absorb heat from combustion and slowly release water. Contary to popular belief, retardants do not put out fires � they simply slow their spread.

Q. Why do the current wildfires demand thousands of firefighters and personnel? What, exactly, is everyone doing?
A. The B.C. Forest Service Protection Branch uses two types of crews. The first type is a three-person initial attack crew. Initial attack crews are either Helitack teams which use helicopters to reach remote locations, Rapattack teams that rappel from a chopper in mountainous train, or Parattack teams that parachute from an airplane in extremely remote locations. The second type of crew is a 20-person unit that responds to larger fires. Firefighters set up water pumps and remove fuel from the fire�s path using chainsaws and shovels. Other personnel, often in teams of four, operate the air-tankers. Fire-management teams, which oversee operations and establish protocols, are also on hand.

Q. What is the hierarchy of a typical fire-management team?
A. At the top is the Incident Commander, who is responsible for the overall management of the fire. Next is the Operations Chief, who directs the ground crews and air attackers. The Logistics Chief co-ordinates and monitors support functions. The Plans Chief is tasked with fire behaviour predictions and weather interpretations. Finally, there is the Finance and Administration Chief.

Q. How do firefighters detect blazes in the first place?
A. Air patrols scout predetermined routes over remote areas when fire danger is high, the ministry�s website says. Meanwhile, fire wardens are scattered across the province and act like a de facto police force, keeping a close eye on private land. Infrared technology uses thermal imaging to detect spot-fires and areas of residual fire on larger blazes. An advanced computer system is used to map fires and predict their progression. Finally, there are roughly 70 manned lookout stations scattered throughout the province.

Q. Who was winning the battle on Wednesday?
A. Crews were fighting fire with fire on Wednesday to �burn off� the eastern flank of a wildfire burning one kilometre from the B.C. Interior community of Lillooet and threatening other towns west of the Fraser River. Nearly 2,500 people were ordered to evacuate their homes in the area. �It�s been a good day in that I haven�t heard of any significant changes,� Ms. Couch told Canwest News Service.