The Ongoing Wildfire Thread

[Tuco]

So many of these fires! Arson, bros. No doubt about it

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

This conversation was in either 2015 or 2016. I didn't at the time have any reason to believe he was making it all up. I just wasn't sure how much of it seemed exaggerated and whether his suggestions were overly optimistic.

I get that, but this fantasy that somehow controlled burning would have prevented 2023 from happening is just that.

The forest dynamics have changed, starting with the pine beetle breakout. It's going to get worse before it gets better.

[Minnie]

Originally Posted by ac

my parents were on their way to kelowna for a wedding. My mom said they've been told the destination is in the "ok" area... But it sounds like they'll be turning around so they aren't just adding to the problem of cars on the road.

I hope that's what they decide to do.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1692636394974568942

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

I spoke with someone many years ago who said something like this fire was inevitable. According to this guy, controlled burns had been decreased significantly in BC due to budget cuts as well as complaints from local residents about the smoke when they did the control burn.

Because of this, fuel sources no longer had natural buffers in between each other via controlled fire consumption, and when something like this goes up, the fuel sources are connected so it can easily burn rapidly over larger distances. He believed the fuel was accumulating year after year to the point where there were too many interconnected sections of landscape that could sustain uncontrollable fires if something were to start burning.

His suggestion was to do more controlled burns and making some significant changes to some landscapes to create "natural" breaks that could help slow wild fires and also create strategic locations for combating fires when they happen.

I don't know how much this is true. But in theory, it does make sense and it also makes more sense to do large scale prevention strategies vs many individual case by case basis for homes and properties. It's kinda like how the City of Calgary did flood mitigation rather than insurance demand all of the homes in the affected areas flood proof their homes.

Originally Posted by DoubleK

Probably none of it

Originally Posted by DoubleF

This conversation was in either 2015 or 2016. I didn't at the time have any reason to believe he was making it all up. I just wasn't sure how much of it seemed exaggerated and whether his suggestions were overly optimistic.

Originally Posted by DoubleK

I get that, but this fantasy that somehow controlled burning would have prevented 2023 from happening is just that.

The forest dynamics have changed, starting with the pine beetle breakout. It's going to get worse before it gets better.

Cripes it's confusing when you two argue with each other.

[Firebot]

I hope everyone stays safe and it's heartbreaking to see communities and lives impacted.

Fires are no joke, winds can seriously turn a contained situation into a crisis and lives lost. Heed the advice given by the BC government and emergency services and officials.

[Manhattanboy]

I flew out of Kelowna at 8pm on Tuesday evening and could see a small fire on the west side of the lake. It was small, no visible flames just some smoke. It’s now a monster. I would have thought they could have knocked it down with helicopters right away but maybe there was not enough daylight. This is tragic.

[taxbuster]

Had to go to Kelowna today...not only were the roads almost clogged to a standstill, cell towers were overloaded and the sky changed in an hour from sunny and blue to completely smoked-in. We live north of Kelowna by a hundred klicks or so, but our kids are in West Kelowna...just barely outside the evac zone. They're packed and ready to go.


Can't help but think of BC-Chris and the others on CP who are in the area. Be safe, be careful, be proactive and be ready. It's just awful at Lake Country too.

[Minnie]

This just popped up on twitter, was posted on Castanet - anyone in these areas/living on these roads, just got told to get out.



ETA: also these just added - not far from the bridge.

[Locke]

Sookinchute Court is a hilarious name for anything.

I know this is a tragedy but we can still find some humour.

[Hockeyguy15]

Originally Posted by Locke

Sookinchute Court is a hilarious name for anything.

I know this is a tragedy but we can still find some humour.

https://www.wfn.ca/our-community/com...le/history.htm

Charlie Sookinchute was said to be the first chief for Westbank.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by Minnie

ETA: also these just added - not far from the bridge.

Those are just an Alert, not an Order. They just need to get ready right now.

[Minnie]

Scotch Creek/Lee Creek area up in the Shuswap, road has been closed because of fire activity. Anyone that didn't get out has been told to go to the marina at the Shuswap Lake Prov Park, to be evac'd by boat (RCMP & SAR).

[Minnie]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

Those are just an Alert, not an Order. They just need to get ready right now.

Ooops, sorry. Reading too fast. Still, yikes.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by Locke

I know this is a tragedy but we can still find some humour.

If you need some humor in this situation, check out the phallic evacuation area near the Kelowna airport: https://rdco.maps.arcgis.com/apps/we...0a75f17146b439

[flamingchina]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

If you need some humor in this situation, check out the phallic evacuation area near the Kelowna airport: https://rdco.maps.arcgis.com/apps/we...0a75f17146b439

Even Better...

[Mazrim]

A pretty significant chunk of West Kelowna was added to the map as an evacuation order just now. Now my parents and a couple friends have to leave. Awful, awful day....

[Nyah]

What's the weather doing? Did the thunderstorms end up coming through?

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

A pretty significant chunk of West Kelowna was added to the map as an evacuation order just now. Now my parents and a couple friends have to leave. Awful, awful day....

I'm surprised that any one on the west side was still at home at this point, even if their neighborhood wasn't at "order" status.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by TrentCrimmIndependent

I'm surprised that any one on the west side was still at home at this point, even if their neighborhood wasn't at "order" status.

My parent's neighbourhood wasn't even on Alert - it went straight to Order even though it was next to an order for most of the day. Some left early but others stuck around to let their neighbours know how things were going, or to get ready themselves.

I know some friends on the other side of Boucherie - I can't see them leaving right away.

[Minnie]