Even during Canada’s winter freeze, the remnants of last year’s unprecedented wildfire season persist.
These “zombie fires,” smoldering beneath thick layers of snow, are causing concern about the approaching summer.
In Fort Nelson, British Columbia (BC), drivers navigating through the town witness clouds of white smoke rising from the snow-covered ground
Sonja Leverkus, a firefighter from the area, described how even during a snowstorm in November, the falling snow appeared blueish-grey due to the smoke in the air.
“I’ve never experienced a snowstorm that smelled like smoke,” she remarked.
These eerie plumes of smoke, visible until February even during extreme cold, are the result of zombie fires—fires that burn slowly underground without flames.
They survive thanks to organic soil like peat moss and the insulation provided by snow cover.
While zombie fires are not uncommon in BC, with an average of five or six persisting through the winter in the past decade, January saw an unprecedented peak of 106 active fires in the province.
This raises concerns about their implications for the upcoming wildfire season. Most typically die out before spring, but 91 are still burning in BC, posing a risk of reigniting once the snow melts.
Alberta is also witnessing a surge in winter fires, with 57 burning as of early February—nearly ten times the five-year average.
This prolonged smoldering through winter is particularly alarming following Canada’s devastating wildfire season in 2023, which burned over 18 million hectares of land and claimed lives.
According to experts like Jennifer Baltzer, a professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, last year’s catastrophic fires have contributed to the high number of zombie fires this winter.
Mike Flannigan, a fire management expert at Thompson Rivers University, points to resource shortages and extreme drought conditions in BC over the past two years as additional factors.
The ongoing drought has been evident, with water sources drying up and ski resorts closing due to lack of snow. Scientists attribute the increase in zombie fires to a rapidly warming climate.
Forrest Tower, a fire information officer with BC Fire, reassures that the fires are being monitored, though most cannot be manually extinguished due to off-season staffing.
However, if the province continues to see minimal snow or rain, there’s a risk of fires reigniting in spring, potentially requiring immediate action from firefighting forces.
While it’s too early to predict the severity of the upcoming fire season, experts warn that conditions are unusually precarious, particularly with the forecast of hot and dry weather in western Canada due to El Niño.
As Prof. Flannigan puts it, “The stage is set for a very active spring.”
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