Zombie fires were once rare, but scientists say they have become more common in recent years due to rising temperatures
In Canada’s freezing winter, under thick layers of snow, “zombie fires” are still burning remnants of the summer’s devastating wildfires.
In particular, zombie fires, fires burning at an unprecedented rate, are raising fears of what the coming summer may bring.
People driving the highway through the town of Fort Nelson, British Columbia (BC) in winter can easily see and smell the clouds of white smoke rising from the ground around them.
Columns of smoke were still visible in February, even on cold days when temperatures had plummeted to -40C. Fort Nelson’s smoke is the result of zombie fires, also called winter fires.
They are hearths that burn slowly below the surface and are kept alive by an organic soil called peat moss that is common in the North American boreal forest and by thick layers of snow that insulate them from the cold.
These fires are not uncommon. Over the past 10 years, British Columbia has seen, on average, five or six that continue to burn during the cold months, experts say.
But in January, the region saw an unprecedented peak of 106 active zombie fires, prompting concern among scientists about what they will mean for the coming fire season.
Most usually go out on their own before spring, but 91 are still burning and could reignite once the snow melts and is exposed to the air.
Because of this, scientists associate them with the early onset of forest fire seasons.
Neighboring Alberta is also seeing an uptick in zombie fires, with 57 burning since early February, nearly 10 times the five-year average.
“The ones that continue to smolder through the winter, I think are very concerning,” especially after Canada’s record-breaking fire season last year, said Jennifer Baltzer, a biology professor at Wilfrid Laurier University and the Canada Research Center in Forests and Global. Change.
An additional 44 million hectares of land were burned by wildfires in Canada in 2023 — an area roughly the size of Cambodia — far exceeding the country’s 10-year average.
The season has been one of the deadliest in recent history, with several firefighters losing their lives in the line of duty.
Thousands of people were forced from their homes and the effect was felt far beyond Canada’s borders when smoke blanketed much of the US in June.
Most of these are fires that could not be fully extinguished until last fall simply because of a lack of resources.
By the end of the year, officials recorded a total of more than 2,200 fires in the region.
Also of concern are the drought conditions that have persisted through the winter. The region has seen so little snow that a ski resort in the South Cariboo region was forced to close its doors in early January for the remainder of the season.
Zombie fires were once rare, but scientists say they have become more common in recent years due to a rapidly warming climate.
But the main concern is that the fires could reignite if the region continues to receive little snow or rain into the spring.
And with it being an El Nino year, in which warm and dry conditions are predicted for western Canada, experts say the stage is set for a very active spring.
Source: Skai
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