Fire Threatens Kelowna

[Ben Kenobi]

That's the smoke from the Calgary Flames.

At least they have some passion, unlike the drained Toronto Maple Leafs. Power outages can't improve your team.

Do you happen to have an ontopic comment, Agathon?

[Ben Kenobi]

Here's an update:

Most people have been allowed back into their homes, while remaining on evac alert.

So far about 450 houses have been destroyed.

The situation still is not settled, but could have been much, much worse.

[molly bloom]

It's a lovely area of B.C.- I enjoyed travelling through it. I hope it recovers from the fires quickly. I know some people in Vernon, but they're safe, thankfully. Here's to a few days of solid rain showers for you.

[RedFred]

Thanks Molly. Even the current hot, dry weather is not a disaster for Kelowna as long as the winds stay down. But other fires keep springing up. Cranbrook is the latest place to be affected.

My sister, her husband and kids are all back at home, but on evac alert.

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by obiwan18
At least they have some passion, unlike the drained Toronto Maple Leafs. Power outages can't improve your team.

The Leafs didn't notice the blackout. These days, they're constantly in the dark.

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by Richelieu
So what are the causes? Extreme drought? Logging practices? Both?

Fires are a natural part of the ecosystem. The problem is people are too damn stupid to realise this.

Firefighters have been warning people for years about the danger of building homes beside and in forests. But people don't listen. Home owners fail to take basic precautions, developers don't want to spend money to reduce fire risks, and local governments don't want to create fire protection regulations.

Only 3% of local governments in high fire risk areas require developers to use fire resistent material in new homes. Only 2% of these governments have regulations about clearing away brush and material that can burn.

About 35% of fire departments in high risk areas are not equipped to fight forest fires.

The BC auditor general did a study in 2001 about this problem. The report states:
"Firefighters admit that their success was largely a result of good fortune rather than good management ... it is only a matter of time before a fire will exceed their capability to contain."

"Measures known to be effective at limiting the likelihood of a wildfire spreading into a community ... are not being used."

http://www.aud.gov.bc.ca/PUBS/2001-02/Report1/sec1.htm#Key

The destruction caused by the Kelowna fire could have been prevented. Instead, Canadian taxpayers will be forking out millions of dollars to people who lost their homes. The people taking this money come from an area that always votes for rght-wing parties, you know the ones who constantly complain about paying taxes and government hand outs.