July 8, 2025
RED FM News Desk
SURREY, B.C. – Human-caused wildfires have been on the decline in British Columbia in recent years, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service.
Human-caused wildfires are those ignited by anything other than lightning, including power lines, vehicles, trains, smoking, campfires, industrial activity, or light reflecting through glass. If a person directly caused the fire, or something made by humans did, it’s counted as human-caused.
Jean Strong, a fire information officer, stated that decades of public education campaigns focusing on fire safety have significantly helped reduce these numbers. These campaigns have particularly emphasized the dangers of flicking cigarette butts out windows and the importance of safely extinguishing campfires.
Strong highlighted that fires started by cigarettes and other smoking materials are down by 94 percent, while those originating from campfires have decreased by 60 percent. “Human-caused fires have gone down overall over the past several decades of data that we have, which is great news,” she said.
She added that while intentionally set fires, or arson, are rare, their numbers have also decreased.
As of Monday morning, out of 83 active wildfires burning across B.C., 62 were caused by lightning, 17 were human-caused, and four remain undetermined.
The B.C. Wildfire Service warns that individuals who start a wildfire could face fines of up to $1 million and/or up to three years in jail. The Wildfire Act outlines different fines based on how a fire starts and spreads.
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