Local fire risk expected to go up in July

NORTH VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – As the weather is heating up, so is the fire risk rating in our woods.

“For regional parks, the Grouse Grind and the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve, it’s currently low, but we will probably be moving into moderate this week with the weather trends we have going,” says Marcel LaBreche, operations supervisor for Metro Vancouver Regional Parks.

“We’ve had a lot of rain through mid-to-late June and that has really reduced the deep drying of the ground. That’s why we are in low, but as we progress into July and August the risk will likely increase. If there’s hot, dry weather, the fire risk rating could increase quickly but it’s hard to predict,” he tells NEWS 1130.

While there are currently no restrictions in our regional parks, LaBreche says people still need to be careful with any fire sources.

“We take ignition sources very seriously throughout the entire fire season, from April to September. Restrictions increase depending on the rating. As we progress into moderate there are no significant public restrictions but we are monitoring more. And as we get into high, things like campfires will be closed except for supervised campgrounds,” he explains.

“As we get into extreme, that’s where we work with local fire departments and we can ban briquette barbecues. When people are finished with them, they have to dispose of the hot coals and that’s a real concern for us.”
While there are designated places to dump coals in many parks, LaBreche says people will often ignore them. “If people don’t want to walk all the way to the disposal bin, they will dump them in the bush. That becomes a real issue and that’s why they are banned when the rating hits extreme.”
LaBreche isn’t expecting any fire troubles in Metro Vancouver parks over the Canada Day long weekend but still has a warning for anyone enjoying our green spaces.

“We want people to be aware ignition sources are always a risk — that’s cigarettes, campfires, briquette barbecues or anything that’s hot. We want people to be aware of fire ratings as they change. We post signs in our parks but they can also check our website to see what the current rating is and what restrictions there are.”

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