BEPPLE – No lives lost in latest wave of wildfires but what do we do next?

IF THERE WAS A GLIMMER of hope, it is that no lives were lost in this latest wave of unrelenting fires. Everyone got out. No firefighters lost their lives either.

But with hundreds of structures lost in the Thompson and Okanagan regions, I wonder how many more fires we can endure. The 2023 is already the worst wildfire season on record. By mid-July, the 2023 wildfire season had already surpassed the previous record of 2018.

Hundreds of structures lost means there are hundreds of individuals and families who have lost all they have worked for. For 10, 20, or 50 years or more. One person I talked to this week said how it took 60 years to build up their home and possessions. All wiped out in a raging fire.

How many more summers of record fires can we endure? How many more homes, hamlets and villages being wiped out can we rebuild?

Some things we do well. Most importantly, people are kept safe. We have yet to endure the catastrophic loss of life others have.

In Australia, wildfires killed 173 people on one day in 2009. The fires destroyed over 2,000 structures. Some people died sheltering in place, some while defending their properties, some while evacuating too late.

In California, the most deadly fire was the Camp fire in 2018, where 85 people died, and 2,900 structures were destroyed.

In Europe, since 2001 there have been 352 wildfire related deaths in Greece, Portugal, Italy and Spain, with over 100 dying in one fire alone.

In Hawaii, the death count from last month’s fire in Lahaina is 115, with another 388 still missing.
Reports on California Camp fire said that the hot, dry conditions and strong winds meant fire conditions defied suppression efforts. The same hot, dry conditions with large expanses of fuel are here in the central Interior.

Looking ahead, we need to decide what our goals are. Once a fire is raging, it is almost impossible to stop it.

California has instituted fire smart regulations such that homes protected by their wildfire services must clear out flammable materials such as brush or vegetation around their buildings to 100 feet (or the property line) to create a defensible space buffer. It does not stop the raging fire. But it improves the chances that structures can be saved.

Evacuation orders may not be what everyone agrees with, but the low fatality rates in B.C. compared to other jurisdictions suggests that getting people out when fires rage is the best strategy. Sheltering in place, defending property, and evacuating too late all can be deadly.

The people who have lost their homes face huge costs to rebuild. The legacy of Lytton shows that ineffective government support and policies prevent people from getting on with their lives. If the government wants people to live in the B.C. Interior, then programs for rebuilding after catastrophic wildfires need to be improved.

The glimmer of hope is no lives were lost. The extremely difficult part now is the rebuilding for those who have lost so much.

Nancy Bepple is a Kamloops City councillor with a strong interest in community building projects.