The embers would have favored the spread of fires in the Okanagan

The complex of fires that ravaged part of the Okanagan Valley in 2023 progressed due to the heavy presence of embers and not direct contact with the flames.

This is what highlights a report from the private non-profit organization, FPInnovations, specializing in the competitiveness of the Canadian forest sector.

The fires of McDougall Creek in West Kelowna, Walroy Lake in Kelowna and Clarke Creek in Lake Country, which formed the Grouse Complex of Fires, burned 15,076 acres, forced the evacuation of more than 30,000 people, and destroyed 303 structures.

According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, insured losses exceeded $480 million.

It all started in West Kelowna on August 15, 2023 when the first fire grew significantly due to dry conditions and strong winds.

Fires as large as 2023 have caused small embers to rise, which can be bark or kindling on fire. With the convection column, the wind lifted these embers which headed towards the structuresexplains Robin Tremblay, researcher for forest fire operations at FPInnovations.

Commissioned by the government of British Columbia as well as the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, the report offers several recommendations.

It is mainly a question of reducing the presence of combustibles around infrastructures.

Fuels around houses

Vegetation in the first 10 meters around our houses is very importantthis Robin Tremblay.

We saw places where there was a lot of vegetation, resinous trees, but if they are more than 10 m away, we do not have continuity that goes all the way to the building, to the structure.

The FireSmart Canada website advises keeping combustibles more than 1.5 m from your house. You should also clean your gutter and put the propane tanks away.

Fuels include, for example, conifers and the needles they produce.

Approximately 190 private residences were lost as the West Kelowna Fire progressed. The municipality’s fire chief, Jason Brolund, was at the heart of the fight against the flames.

In our community, homes and structures have been saved thanks to work done in accordance with FireSmart principles.

However, he admits that convincing owners is sometimes complicated.

We strive to convince people to make the right choices when it comes to their garden, for example, or replacing their roof or their windows, or even choosing the location of their woodpile in anticipation of the winter heating season, explains Jason Brolund. But in current conditions, convincing owners to make a difference is a challenge for us.

Strengthen local regulations

The report also recommends strengthening zoning in municipalities

It would therefore be necessary to limit the development of new real estate projects in areas with a high fire risk or to put in place rules regarding landscaping and fencing around structures.

A suggestion the West Kelowna fire chief responded to by saying his team was still in the process to analyze the conclusions of this report.

We will use the results of the report to show the public how the wildfire has moved through our community and what we can expect when the next fire occurs.

It must be seen that these types of events [sont] bearers of lessons that we try to use as much as possible to build precisely this type of information which allows us to intervene more effectively,explains Denis Cormier, vice-president of research operations at FPInnovations.

According to BC Wildfire, 2.84 million hectares burned in British Columbia in 2023, the worst year documented province-wide.