Achi news desk-
New Brunswick’s environment minister says officials are preparing for a wildfire season just as “horrendous” as last year’s.
Mike Holland says the state’s 10-year average is 246 fires a year, with 4.5 square kilometers of forest being burnt, but while the number of fires last year was lower than average, they were much more destructive, torching 8.6 square kilometers.
He says 202 of the 209 wildfires last year were caused by humans, while seven were caused by lightning.
Wildfire prevention officer Roger Collet says the government has 143 trained firefighters in the province ready to fight fires this season.
In terms of resources, he says last year the province had six planes to carry water while this year it has eight.
Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said on Monday the latest spring fire forecast suggested a combination of above-average temperatures and limited rain and snow had left dry, tinderbox conditions across much of the country.
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on April 16, 2024.
