The BC Wildfire Service’s (BCWS) use of a planned ignition during the 2023 Downton Lake wildfire was based on “sound forest practices and a reasonable assessment of wildfire threat.”
That was the Forest Practices Board’s findings released on Tuesday, May 13.
Three Gun Lake residents submitted a complaint that the planned ignition—which is the deliberate use of fire to get rid of unburned fuel during an emergency and help contain a wildfire—was partly responsible for more than 40 homes that were destroyed on the lake’s west side.
"We recognize the devastating losses experienced by the people and community of Gun Lake," said Keith Atkinson, chair of the Forest Practices Board, in a release. "After a thorough review, we found that BC Wildfire Service acted within its legal authority, and its decision to conduct a planned ignition on Aug. 1, 2023, was reasonable given the circumstances and the threat the wildfire posed to the area.”
During the investigation, the board determined officials believed without the burn, the wildfire would have spread to the southwestern shore of the Lajoie and Gun Lakes, potentially reaching Gold Bridge.
Read the full report at bcfpb.ca/release-publications/releases.
