B.C. RCMP claim wildfires may have been caused 'intentionally' by human activity

AP Photo/Noah Berger

B.C. RCMP believe unknown persons may have intentionally started several wildfires on Vancouver Island, though they are not ruling out other factors at this point. 

"Witnesses in the area of Browning Creek just before its discovery observed some quad riders nearby," said RCMP Staff-Seargant Kris Clark.

"Police are looking to speak with anyone, including the riders, who have seen anything suspicious in the area of the Browning Creek fire or any of the other fires."

Since May 29, the largest Sayward wildfire has grown 230 hectares, while the July 4 blaze near Browning Creek spans only two hectares.

Firefighters continue to fight the fires with helicopters and ground crews, which Clark described as 'potentially fatal' for anyone who gets too close.

WATCH: @SheilaGunnReid and @ATSoos discussed Danielle Smith's pledge for an arsonist investigation into the 175 Alberta wildfires, and the NDP's strange reaction to it.https://t.co/olv6Z8rphu

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"The B.C Wildfire Service has rated the fire danger on the Island as mostly extreme with just a few pockets of high," he said.

"The conditions are extreme. There's potential for a wildfire to get out of control and cause structural damage and potentially endanger lives," continued the Mountie.

"We want to get to the bottom of this quickly and stop these fires from occurring."

Premier Danielle Smith acknowledged 175 wildfires in neighbouring Alberta with no known causes last month but said arson could've been a factor.

"I think you're watching as I am the number of stories about arson," she said. "I'm very concerned that there are arsonists, and there have been stories as well that we're investigating."

A federal equity program promoting "all genders" in firefighting lost control of a prescribed burn Wednesday that Canada Parks admitted went "out of control."

FULL REPORT by Alex Dhaliwal (@westcdnfirst): https://t.co/IPbMY6hTvs

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According to provincial data, 2,600 firefighters have responded to over 560 wildfires that have burned 1,180,000 hectares of land.

"The most area burned for an entire wildfire season was 1.3 million hectares in 1981," said Alberta Wildfire official Christie Tucker when comparing the abnormal intensity of this year's fire season.

Alberta's blazing wildfire season has displaced nearly 38,000 residents, with the province allocating $175 million for disaster recovery.

Alberta's Forestry and Parks Ministry told True North the province investigates every wildfire to determine origin and cause — a role previously held by the Alberta RCMP's Forestry Crimes Unit.

"While we do have investigators in Alberta who are qualified, given the high number of active wildfires so early this season, we required additional support," said Parks press secretary Pam Davidson. 

The Alberta RCMP Forestry Crimes Unit has ongoing investigations into 12 suspicious wildfires, supposedly the byproduct of human activity.https://t.co/3ZXjtAxOm0

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) June 23, 2023

The Forestry Crimes Unit has ongoing investigations into 12 suspicious wildfires, supposedly the byproduct of human activity. The province brought in two arson investigators last month from New Brunswick and two from B.C.

Last year, the RCMP investigated 21 suspicious wildfires the previous year and 40 the year before. Davidson said the investigations ensure "our prevention methods are up to date."

Smith concurred the province must build better fireguards to reduce the risk of forest fires entering residential areas and cities. 

"We're going to have forest fires. It's the nature of what we have in Alberta," she said. "And it's our job as government to make sure that we mitigate, manage, and have the resources available when they erupt."