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Fires, drought and water woes to begin B.C.’s wildfire season
Officials say 93 April fires are already burning as low snowpack and drought raise early-season risk and push Metro Vancouver to ban lawn watering.
Rick van Kesteren, an information officer with the BC Wildfire Service, reports 93 fires in April, warning that drought conditions in the Interior increase the risk of early-season grass fires across British Columbia.
While snowpack sits at 92 per cent of normal, the Canadian Drought Monitor notes "long-term deficits" in the central Interior, masking significant variability and drought risks in the South Coast and Vancouver Island.
Banning lawn watering to manage demand, the Metro Vancouver Regional District faces snowpack at about 50 per cent of normal, with water usage spiking from 1.1 billion to 1.7 billion litres daily.
Despite record interest with 2,400 applicants for 1,300 seasonal firefighter positions, Van Kesteren notes forecasting difficulty, stating, "We're preparing for the worst and just really hoping for the best."
Long-Range forecasts predict hotter-than-normal conditions across Canada, with El Nino expected to take hold this summer, potentially intensifying fire risks depending on precipitation levels through May and June.