2023 was one of the worst wildfire seasons in recent history for BC’s northwest. That area is about 24 million hectares ranging from the west coast to just west of Endako and from the Yukon border to Tweedsmuir Provincial Park (see map below).
The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) reported that “More than 2.84 million hectares of forest and land burned during B.C.’s 2023 wildfire season. This amount is 10 times the 20-year average annual area burned and is what would historically be expected over a decade.”
In Smithers BC, there is a modest building with a small group of dispatchers, prevention officers, and operations workers who work around the clock to respond to fire emergencies in the North West. Those are the behind-the-scene players that respond to each call, text, app alert, and who need to think quickly and creatively.
CICK News interviewed members of Dispatch, Operations, and Prevention teams to reflect on this year’s fire season and what they learned from 2023.
