Coastal Fire Centre crews have spent June hauling sandbags instead of fighting wildfires.
Marg Drysdale, fire information officer, said there have been no wildfires the entire month thanks to the wet, cooler-than-normal weather.
Crews have instead been sandbagging areas on flood watch or impacted by flooding on the mainland.
The Coastal Fire Centre, which covers Vancouver Island and the area west of the Coast Mountain range from the Canada/U.S. border to the northern border of South Tweedsmuir Park in the Chilcotin, has had just 20 fires to date.
Drysdale said the centre’s records only go back to 2001, but this is the first June since then with no fire activity.
She cautions a quiet June could still mean a busy summer.
In 2010, there were only eight fires in June, but 205 that year.
“We’re never sure what the rest of the summer will bring,” said Drysdale. “It’s very dependent on location, very dependent on conditions.”
The message she wants to get out is for the public to still be careful with their fires.
She suggests that people resist the urge to build a large bonfire when it is wet out and instead bring more clothing when camping.
The weather forecast is for a wet long weekend.
“We should be looking at drying towards the middle of next week, starting probably Monday,” said Drysdale.
