While the 2024 wildfire season in B.C. was not as destructive as in 2023 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ” which was the worst fire season in the province on record 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ” there were still 1,688 wildfires, which burned approximately 1.08 million hectares and made 2024 the fourth-worst fire season in B.C.91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s recorded history.

The BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) says that lightning was the cause of more than 70 per cent of the 2024 fires, with human activity accounting for nearly 30 per cent. The causes of a small percentage of last year91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s fires are still undetermined.

In total, 2024 saw 51 evacuation orders, which affected more than 4,100 properties, and 112 evacuation alerts, impacting more than 11,600 properties. One of the largest fires of 2024 was the Shetland Creek wildfire, which was caused by lightning and started on July 12 northwest of Spences Bridge. The fire grew to 27,956 hectares and destroyed some 20 properties (including several permanent residences) and infrastructure in the Saranagati Village in Venables Valley, southwest of Ashcroft.

Building from the lessons learned from the 2023 wildfire season, the province created the Premier91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s Expert Task Force on Emergencies. After months of information gathering, the task force made several recommendations for enhancing relationships, partnerships, and technologies in wildfire and emergency management.

These included working on partnerships with local community members who have basic wildfire suppression training and who are interested in supporting response efforts in their communities. One of these partnerships was in Ashcroft, where members of the Ashcroft Indian Band and Ashcroft Fire Rescue were able to receive S100/S185 training in basic wildfire suppression and safety. A dozen residents in Venables Valley were also able to take S100/S185 training, so that they can better protect their community, as well as assist BCWS crews if needed.

In collaboration with First Nations partners, the use of cultural and prescribed fire will continue to be expanded, both as an important Indigenous practice and as a tool for land stewardship and wildfire mitigation. The Province has made amendments to the Wildfire Act and Regulation to remove barriers to Indigenous uses of fire, which will also create new opportunities for partnerships between BCWS and First Nations to carry out cultural and prescribed fire initiatives.

Of the 60 cultural and prescribed fire projects planned for 2024, 48 were implemented, treating a total of 3,412 hectares. Thirty-six were carried out in the spring and 12 were completed in the fall. There are 88 burning projects planned for 2025 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ” including a large one on Ashcroft Indian Band land 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ” and more projects are being actively developed and reviewed.

The FireSmart program continues to be expanded, and to date 265 communities (including 148 local governments and 117 First Nations) have received funding to engage in FireSmart activities. These include education, community development, emergency planning, and fuel management projects.

Additional initiatives adopted in 2024 included the use of predictive software to forecast wildfire behaviour using real-time field data, the implementation of night-vision imaging systems to support firefighting efforts, and the redevelopment of the BCWS mobile and web application to enhance public preparedness and access to information.

The BC Wildfire Service has also partnered with Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops to establish a wildfire training and education centre, the first of its kind in North America. The program will offer career development pathways, from field skills to diploma and degree programs in wildfire and emergency management.

For more details on the 2024 wildfire season, visit the BC Wildfire Service season summary at .