Wildfires Rage Across Canada as Last Year’s Zombie Fires Spring to Life

Gusty winds caused one fire in northeastern British Columbia to swell in size from 13,000 acres on Monday to nearly 21,000 acres on Tuesday. And at least 4,700 people were placed under evacuation orders due to the fires.

Wildfires are raging across Canada as “zombie” wildfires have burst to life and are mingling with new ones that ignite each day. The blaze has prompted thousands of evacuation orders and alerts in several towns in British Columbia and Alberta, and have contributed to air quality issues in parts of the US.

This year’s fire season could rival the record-shattering season of last year, Canadian fire officials warned. The Canadian interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) found more than 130 wildfires are raging across Canada. The center also reported that more than 1,000 wildfires have burned about 379,000 hectares of land so far this year.

 Reports say “zombie fires” or “holdover fires” are contributing to the unprecedented blazes, however it’s unclear how many of the wildfires are caused by this phenomenon. The deep root systems in Canada’s forests can keep fires smoldering throughout winter which then re-spark in the springtime when heat and winds hit the region.

Authorities add that drought conditions and high winds are whipping up the fires as well. Ben Boghean, a fire behavior specialist with the British Columbia Wildfire Service, said the northeastern region of British Columbia “has experienced multiple years of drought, with a below-normal snowpack this past winter”.