VANCOUVER — Frontline workers risking their lives battling wildfires across B.C. are now adding thieves, vandals and careless outdoor enthusiasts to their list of problems.
On Saturday, 148 wildfires burned across B.C., while 4,700 people worked with the B.C. Wildfire Service to control them.
But public interference with these operations has become an increasing concern, particularly in areas where there have been evacuation alerts, said Kevin Skrepnek, B.C. Wildfire Service’s chief fire information officer.
Skrepnek said there have been multiple incidents in the Cariboo Region of people accessing areas where crews are fighting fires, including people driving through these areas on off-road vehicles.
As well, people are accessing areas where there are helicopters operating and they’re using boats in bodies of water and hampering water-skimming aircraft operations.
Water hoses, pumps and other firefighting equipment have been vandalized or stolen, Skrepnek added.
“This is not only posing a risk to the members of the public who are doing this, but also it’s potentially impacting our operations and affecting the safety of our crews as well,” he said.
The B.C. Wildfire Service is working closely with the RCMP to combat the problem, which has been particularly bad in Williams Lake, the Chilcotin Region and along the Highway 97 corridor.
“Certainly, there’s zero tolerance for any criminal activities in evacuated areas or in areas where we’re operating,” Skrepnek said. “Anyone suspected of theft or mischief is going to be arrested.”
Skrepnek said RCMP and conservation officers have stepped up patrols in areas where interference is an issue and where crews are working.
The B.C. Wildfire Act and Wildfire Regulation allows authorities to order people to leave an affected area. But if such behaviour continues to be a problem, they may need to implement area closures around fire sites, on lakes and in the backcountry, Skrepnek added. Those caught interfering with firefighting operations or burning a campfire during a prohibition face fines of $1,150.
“I don’t think they’re intentionally trying to impede operations,” Skrepnek said. “I think what it could be in many situations is just ignorance of how large these fires are and how expansive our operations have become in terms of responding to them.”
RCMP spokesman Sgt. Annie Linteau said an enhanced police presence will remain in all communities impacted by the fires for now, whether or not an evacuation order remains in effect. Linteau said she’s aware of some fines, but no arrests related to people violating prohibitions, however, some people found in evacuation zones with stolen property have been arrested.
She urged anyone with concerns upon returning home to contact their local non-emergency number and report those concerns to police.
Meanwhile, the Cariboo Regional District announced Saturday that an evacuation alert for 100 Mile House and surrounding communities was rescinded. But officials warn another alert remains a possibility.
Environment Canada forecasts rising temperatures up to and above 30 C for the southern Interior in the coming week, and the B.C. Wildfire Service has said the forests are much dryer than normal.
Skrepnek said there is no rain in the foreseeable future for southern B.C. and there’s a chance a sub-tropic weather system could bring lightning later this week.
“To have that lightning arrive on Thursday, which is what the forecast is indicating right now, could make for a very dangerous situation out there in terms of new fires starting,” he said.
Chris Duffy of Emergency Management B.C. said about 3,700 people remain displaced by the remaining 18 evacuation orders in the province, down from the tens of thousands forced from their homes in early July.
B.C. has had 810 fires this season, costing the B.C. Wildfire Service $166.7 million since April 1.
— With files from the The Canadian Press
