Quiet Year for Forest-Fires
While folks out in B.C. watch their homes burn-down, Quebec's been enjoying a relatively quiet forest-fire season so far, thanks to regular showers and cool temperatures.
The average of the past 10 years is about 450 fires a year, destroying about 95-thousand hectares of forest and brushland. This year, 368 wildfires so far have affected about 20-thousand hectares.
There aren't any fires burning in Quebec right now, but that could change quickly: a few days of sunshine could increase the risk significantly. Quebec's forest protection agency SOPFEU is reminding campers, berry-pickers and hikers to be very careful with fire: if you smoke, do it in a vehicle or on the road; and make sure your campfire is completely cold before leaving a campsite.
As for B.C., SOPFEU says it hasn't been asked to help with the fires out in Kelowna but could send firefighters and water-bombers out there, if they're asked.
Traffic Map