Lessons to be learned from Los Angeles fires, experts say

As fires continue to burn in the Los Angeles area, experts say there are lessons to be learned about how British Columbia can prepare for wildfires.

Since Tuesday, massive fires have killed at least 11 people and burned more than 10,000 homes and other structures in a densely populated area north of downtown Los Angeles, California.

Mathieu Bourbonnais, assistant professor of earth, environmental and geographic sciences at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus, says the Los Angeles fires are no different from wildfires which burned in the vicinity of Kelowna and Scotch Creek in 2023, and in Jasper, Alberta in 2024.

We’re starting to see recurring patterns where very, very dry conditions contribute to the onset of blazes. Combined with very strong winds, this causes the fire to grow very aggressively and exceed what we are capable of handling.explains Mr. Bourbonnais.

Although British Columbia has not experienced destruction on the scale of that seen in a densely populated city like Los Angeles, a devastating wildfire swept through the village of Lytton in June 2021, destroying much of the community.

According to Daniel Perrakis, a scientific researcher specializing in fire behavior, this expertise developed by British-Columbian and Canadian teams in the face of forest fires that attack towns and villages gives them an advantage.

Mr. Perrakis believes that the vegetation burning in Los Angeles is comparable to that found in Okanagan, British Columbia. It is vegetation that burns very quicklyhe says, recalling that the affected region in the United States has been facing a very severe drought for several months.

He recalls that this situation is largely caused by climate change.

On the importance of being proactive

Lucy Grainger of British Columbia’s FireSmart program says California is a kind of foretaste of what conditions might one day be in the province.

She points out that there are steps people can take to protect their homes from fire. She says it’s important to clear combustible materials from areas such as gutters and roofs, and ensure decks and balconies are free of debris.

She said research indicates that the majority of homes destroyed in a wildfire are actually ignited by embers or sparks.

By removing flammable materials around your home and vegetation on your property, you can prevent embers from building up and prevent the house from catching firerecalls Lucy Grainger.

Change construction standards

John Vaillant, author of Fire Weather: The Making of a Beastwhich describes the devastating fire at Fort McMurray in 2016, believes that building rules need to be changed to accommodate what he calls the fire of the 21st^e century.

Things are different today, and the greater heat we experience throughout the year stimulates fire in a very powerful waycontinue M. Vaillant.

According to Mr. Bourbonnais, British Columbia should consider more proactive ways to limit the effects of wildfires.

California practices prescribed burning extensively. They do a lot of fuel processing, and the amount of resources they can bring to bear on a fire like this far exceeds what we can do in Canadahe said.

So I think that shows the scale of the problem that we’re facing, and we need to make sure that we’re ready.

With information from BC Newsby Michelle Ghoussoub, shows BC Today, On The Coast and Associated Press