New Brunswick launches wildfire season early, anticipating hot and dry conditions this summer

Wildfire season is kicking off early in New Brunswick this year and the province says it will be another hot, dry summer.

The forecast comes after a particularly dry winter, which doesn’t bode well for wildfire activity.

“We have had one of the driest winters in decades with 10 consecutive months with below normal precipitation,” said Natural Resources Minister John Herron.

“Compounding the seriousness of our predicament, Environment and Climate Change Canada is projecting that the summer months in New Brunswick will be in the hottest years on record.”

Wildfire season typically starts in the third week of April.

Last year saw more than 400 fires burn almost 3,400 hectares in the province. The situation was so dire last summer that the government implemented a provincewide closure of Crown land for recreational activities.

“Clearly the past wildfire season was especially hard for New Brunswick. It was a scary and stressful time all over the province,” Premier Susan Holt said Wednesday.

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“And so we learned last season and we committed to doing more to protect New Brunswickers, to protect our forest lands, our infrastructure.”

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Four new Fire Boss aircraft for wildfire suppression, which can scoop water directly from rivers and lakes, will be on hand this year, alongside increased equipment and 74  forest ranger positions that are now year-round.

The province has also earmarked $6.7 million for fire preparedness and prevention in this year’s budget, but Holt says time will tell if that’s enough.

“In the case of a wildfire, you always wish that you have more people, more planes, more resources but we have built up a good, an excellent team,” she said.

The province is in the process of providing municipalities with wildfire fighting equipment kits and helping to create wildfire resiliency plans. Residents can now check the Fire Watch page or dashboard for the latest information on burn notices and fire conditions.

“We need to be vigilant, to look after each other and making sure that we’re not putting our neighbours, our structures and our communities at risk,” said Herron.

The wildfire season runs until Oct. 31.