In an article published by Insurance Business Canada, CNA’s Markham Sandulak discusses the factors contributing to an increase in wildfires in Canada and the precautions that can be taken by property owners to protect their structures.

Canada remains gripped in battle with yet another hyperactive wildfire season. A series of heatwaves - most notably in British Columbia, which saw temperatures exceeding 48 degrees Celsius at the end of June – as well as drought conditions linked to climate change, have intensified Canadian wildfires from the west coast to the prairies.

At the half-way point of the wildfire season, British Columbia had already surpassed its 10-year-average in terms of number of fires and square kilometres burned, according to Rob Schweitzer, the B.C. Wildfire Service’s director of fire centre operations. Since April 01, the BC Wildfire Service has reported 1,451 wildfires, burning 650,582 hectares of land. Furthermore, 6,219 properties in the province have been evacuated due to wildfires, and with temperatures expected to rise again in mid-August, officials are poised to make further evacuation orders.

There are several factors contributing to the general increase in wildfire exposure, according to Markham Sandulak (pictured), senior risk control consultant at CNA, including forest management practices, urban development, and climate change.

For more information and personal insights, read the full feature: ‘Canada wildfires: What’s causing them?’ published in Insurance Business Canada.

Published article: HERE