WILDFIRES

      With climate change and population increase wild fires have become more common and much more dangerous.  People live in areas that were once uninhabited. Access to wild areas is much easier as roads have been built into remote areas.

      In Alberta, we all remember the destruction of much of Fort MacMurray. A wild fire rapidly approached Fort MacMurray and much of the city was destroyed. Most of the population had to evacuate. They had to stay away from the community as much of the infrastructure was destroyed. Many homes were destroyed. 

   I have told you that I live less than a kilometer from a forested area. A heavily treed ravine is less than a km from my house. Underbrush is thick. Many trees are old. There are also grassy areas. So it's an area that could easily catch fire and spread and burn rapidly. Right now it is extremely dry here.

   This week it happened. There were two wild fires set. One fire burned about an acre. If the fire hadn't been spotted, it could have spread very quickly into the subdivision. It was difficult for the fire crew to get at the fire as it was across a creak where there were steep embankments. 

   So once again I'm reminded of the risks of wild fire here. 

   This time we were protected by fire fighters. Next time we may not be quite so lucky.