Forest fires scorch across hot, dry Canada
Copyright © 2001 CBC
August 16, 2001
PRINCETON, B.C. - Forest fires are raging throughout Canada, from British Columbia to the Maritimes, the result of one of the hottest, driest Canadian summers in history.
The biggest blaze in British Columbia is near the town of Princeton. It now covers 10 square kilometres and the battle to bring it under control costs $100,000 a day.
Other serious forest fires are ablaze throughout Canada because of a summer of heat and drought.
"It's very dry, you'll notice the green leaves on the trees are even burning," says Bob White, an Ontario conservation officer in northern Ontario where hundreds of fires are out of control.
The fire near Princeton started last Saturday near Manning Provincial Park when a motorhome caught fire and spread from the highway to the trees. Hot, dry weather and brisk winds have fanned the flames all week.
The fire has doubled in size since Tuesday. It is about 25 kilometres southwest of Princeton. Fire officials say the fire crowned overnight Tuesday, meaning the flames move through the tops of the trees and skip quickly over the forest.
Firefighters have been brought in from Wisconsin to help fight fires in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
There is a ban on any campsite fires in northern Ontario and anyone caught lighting one may have to pay firefighting expenses. "If we can prove that someone deliberately or perhaps mistakenly set a fire there is a good chance we'll come after them," White said, adding the penalty could be "thousands of dollars."
The cost of fighting forest fires in Nova Scotia this summer has broken the firefighting budget for the province. Natural Resources Minister Ernie Fage said he expects the cost of fighting fires in the province will be over budget by 30 per cent.
"We do anticipate that we'll probably be over our allotted budget of roughly $3.5 million this year, there's no question about that," Fage said Wednesday.
In B.C., residents of Princeton have not been ordered to leave, nor have any preparations been made. Although it's growing, the fire is heading away from the town.
Officials also say it's difficult to get their crews into the remote valleys. They have advised people with respiratory problems to remain indoors because of the danger from the smoke.
Written by CBC News Online staff