The dry, hot weather continues in British Columbia and that is either a blessing or a curse, depending on one's point of view. It is a blessing for sunworshipers and young children who delight in romping near-nude within the sight of Ol' Sol - and a curse for those whose livelihood depends on the woods. Mothers, too, take a dim view of too much sun for their brood and worry about such things as prostration brought on by the extreme heat.
In BC, a number of forest fires have been burning for days with little expectation of relief through a good downpour. With the hot weather comes the risk, and reality, of lightning strikes that in turn cause more forests to burn brightly. The firefighters are working long, hard hours and are near the point of exhaustion; yet, at time of writing, no relief was in sight either for them or for the fire situation. The horrible term, "Burn, baby, burn" is not one that most British Columbians relish hearing.
The extreme weather raised Vancouver city council's concerns about the city's gem, Stanley Park, bursting into flame and destroying the approximately one-thousand-acre world-famous forest within the city. According to one Vancouver City fireman, "Something as simple as a cigarette butt could cause a major forest fire." [One more reason to ban cigarette smoking.] Stanley Park is the home to dozens of transients and the fire department spokesman said that discounting lightning strikes, the most probable cause of city fires are people. The department is concerned that these transients might start fires illegally and then fail to keep them under control.
"It's no secret that there are a number of transients living in the parks. So, we're concerned they may be setting fires. That's a prime concern to us." [All quotes from the Vancouver Sun of Friday, August 1, 2003]
Farther east and north of Vancouver near Kamloops, forest fires forced 8,000 people away from their homes. As of Monday, 04 August, fire crews were dealing with 337 forest fires with 16 of those reported on Sunday and 13 on Monday. In the Kamloops district alone, 306 fires are turning BC's green into a hellish red then a black death mask.
In addition to the approximately 2,000 firefighters working the forests, about 450 out-of-province volunteers and nearly 100 soldiers of First Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry [1PPCLI] are battling the flames. Forty-eight helicopters are working the Kamloops region.
It's not only humans that are in jeopardy, but also animals. A week before the fires began burning in the Kamloops area last week, the local SPCA had more than 250 unwanted animals in its care. Those animals were moved to other SPCA branches to make room for more than 370 animals rescued from homes and farms nearby. The shelters are caring for dogs, cats, rabbits, gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs and even a few parrots. Large animals and livestock such as cattle, horses, chickens, sheep, and goats were housed at the Kamloops Exhibition Association. At time of writing, they numbered about 200 animals.
"Meanwhile, across the North Thompson River at the Kamloops exhibition grounds, temporarily homeless horses, donkeys, goats, sheep, and llamas packed stalls inside four barns while about 50 head of cattle milled about in a pen outside in the scorching heat." [ibid.]
While the children play in the sunshine and enjoy the high temperatures, the province burns. While the adults battle stubborn blazes in a battle to the death, wild and domestic animals flee for their lives. For some, there was no place to flee; they perished. One rabbit died, as did one sled dog; undoubtedly, many more small, wild animals were roasted alive.
The hot, dry weather can be a friend or a foe; some bless it while others curse it. All suffer to some degree.
Bob Orrick is a private tutor of English grammar, literature, poetry and Canadian history to off-shore youngsters. His pupils hail from such places as Taiwan, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea and Venezuela. He was previously in international marketing, was a ministerial assistant to a provincial cabinet minister, spent a few years as a reporter then editor of a community newspaper and enjoyed a career in the Royal Canadian Navy.
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