It's a wild year for wildfires already in parts of Newfoundland

A dry spring in parts of Newfoundland and Labrador is increasing the risk fires will start and spread across the province.

So far this year, the provincial government has tracked 53 wildfirescovering more than 109 hectares.

That number is higher than last year's 18, which saw some of its worst fire damage in a decade, especially in the central Newfoundland area. Of those 53, there were 34 fires before May 1, compared to only two in the same time period in 2022.

However, it doesn't mean this summer's forest fire probability will continue on this trajectory, says Jeff Motty, supervisor of forest insect disease and fire control for Newfoundland and Labrador.

"Our snow pack disappeared really quickly, and when that water is melted and gone through the system, gone out to the ocean, that really increases the the risk of wildfire within the forested areas," he said.

"It's hard to say what that will mean for the summer. It could mean we have more fire activity, but we could be in a position where, you know, we get a really wet June, which is what I'm hoping for."

Motty and his team are always assessing the risk of wildfires throughout the province. They meet daily to address conditions, and position firefighting resources in the area where probability is high.

"We're constantly making sure that we're doing everything in our power to be ready in case the call comes."

In 2022, the island portion of the province experienced the worst forest fires in decades as three separate fires burned in central Newfoundland during a dry, hot period.

Triggered by lightning strikes, the fires started July 24 and led to temporary closure of the highway connecting towns along the Connaigre Peninsula to the rest of the province. Some communities were left in a state of emergency, and food and supplies had to be flown in by helicopter.

Looking back, Motty says the incident could have been a lot worse.

"We had an incident management team on that fire within 24 hours and we found that to be a truly effective way to move forward," he said. "A quick engagement of that incident management team right off the bat really helped us as a province."

He said the dry weather following the lightning had a profound effect on how quickly and fast those fires moved towardcommunities.

Shared resources

In Alberta this week, the dry weather is helping fuel the 94 wildfires already burning across the province.

A temperamental forecast in the days ahead is expected to escalate the risk of extreme fire behaviour and make conditions even more dangerous. About 20,000 people have been forced from their homes, and at least 36 communities were under threat from the flames.

Warmer weather year-round is not helping, says Motty.

WATCH| The CBC's Troy Turner describes a busy start to fire season in Newfoundland and Labrador:

Dry conditions leading to early start to wildfire season in N.L.

1 year ago

Duration 1:47

The CBC's Troy Turner describes an abnormally busy early wildfire season in Newfoundland, and what you can do to prevent fires from happening on your property.

"Climate change from one year to the next, the biggest impact I'm seeing is that the starting of the wildfire seasons [is] earlier and extension into the fall seems to be more of a thing you can bank on year to year," he said.

As members of the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, each province shares resources when needed in another jurisdiction. Motty says personnel have been moving in and out of the province each summer as a result. Since no two forest fire seasons are the same, he says it wouldn't be possible to hire the exact staff needed to fight fires in each individual province, and the program of sharing firefighting resources works well.

"No one agency can have enough wildfire fighting resources to combat really bad fire seasons like we had last year," he said. "So all of Canada is now mobilizing resources to Alberta and we're looking to see how we can help out as well. We will help out whenever we can, and when required we know when we have our bad day, we can count on our neighbouring provinces."

The province has also stepped up its efforts to help prevent wildfires, says Motty, focusing on educating the public.It's also working with FireSmart Canada, a national program aimed to help people "increase neighbourhood resilience" to fires.

Some tips include removing dead leaves, barbecues and firewood from areas around people's homes, to cleaning out gutters and keeping vents screened to prevent embers from entering the home.

"When a wildfire happens andwe're actively fighting the wildfires, we don't need to switch the homes at the same time. So anything that you can do in advance as a homeowner also helps us in the situation as a whole.

"We always want homeowners and the general public to be educated about the risk of wildfire and all of them to really know that there's a shared responsibility. And everyone has a responsibility to protect themselves, their homes, their communities, their structures, their cabins in advance of wildfires."

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