The Kootenay region has one of the lowest rates of human-caused wildfires in the province.
According to Southeast Fire Centre Information Officer Alex Robinson, the five-year average for human-caused wildfires in the region is about 19 per cent.
Provincially, the average is about 40 per cent. In 2024, 30 per cent (or 511 fires) province-wide were human-caused.
The B.C. Wildfire Service has two categories of wildfire starts: human-caused and lightning.
However, any fire not started by lightning is categorized as “human-caused.”
“A human-caused wildfire is listed for any wildfire that was not the direct result of a lightning strike. So that can include fires caused by power lines, vehicles – things like that. For instance, if a tree is struck by lightning, knocks over a power pole and causes a wildfire, that would be considered human-caused,” explained Robinson.
The B.C. Wildfire Service states on its website that there tends to be a common misconception around the term human-caused, with many assuming it means fires started by either cigarette butts or campfires.
The wildfire service does not provide many details about human-caused fires, as wildfire investigations can be complex and may take weeks or even months to complete.
“We employ fire origin and cause specialists to conduct investigations in accordance with international standards to determine the cause of a fire,” said the B.C. Wildfire Service.
These specialists look for things such as:
- Ignition sources
- Burn patterns
- Physical evidence
- Weather history
The B.C. Wildfire Service also notes that current wildfire maps and information available online that explicitly identify a fire as human-caused have the potential to inadvertently place blame on property owners or companies before investigations are complete.
To prevent misidentification and protect personal privacy, the fire service emphasizes that it is essential to handle this information responsibly.
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