About 90 per cent of buildings lost during wildfires are due to embers traveling on the wind for up to two kilometres from the main fire.
“That means anywhere in Nelson could experience ember transfer from a nearby wildfire,” said Len MacCharles, Nelson’s fire chief.
To spread this message, Nelson Fire and Rescue Services has released two short animated videos to help residents and business owners better understand how to reduce the risk of losing their homes and buildings from wildfire.
This includes removing everything flammable, including coniferous trees and shrubs, from a 1.5-metre zone around buildings.
“One of the reasons we wanted to create these short films was to illustrate how homeowners can prepare and protect their properties in the event of an ember shower,” MacCharles said.
Residents and businesses in Nelson can book an expert FireSmart assessment of their buildings and properties by calling 250-352-3103. Outside the city limits within the Regional District of Central Kootenay, assessments can be booked online at https://tinyurl.com/aka3j2rp.
Funded by a grant from the Columbia Basin Trust, the videos are narrated by the Cranbook performer Maddisun, who also wrote and performed the music. Art direction is by Nathan Wilkinson with animation by Jonathan Ramos and Jack Chipman, all from Nelson.
The videos can be found online at https://tinyurl.com/wthczd2c.
