Courtesy GNB
July may have been a dry month across New Brunswick but it didn’t seem to have an impact on the number of forest fires in the province.
Government figures show 150 forest fires have been reported so far this year and the 10-year average is 203.
Last year, 242 fires had been reported by mid-August.
Wildfire prevention officer Roger Collet says it has been a good season in terms of the lack of fires.
“So this year, the cooler temperatures we had in the spring and wet conditions certainly were a large factor in the lower number of fires,” says Collet.
Although rainfall has been below normal in recent weeks, he says levels of high humidity in July helped prevent fires from igniting or spreading.
The quiet fire season here has allowed New Brunswick firefighters to help fight wildfires in other regions including Alberta.
Heading into late summer, Collet says the number of fires tends to be on a downward trend especially with shorter days and cooler nights.
But he adds things could change quickly since it’s hard to predict the weather in New Brunswick.
For current forest fire conditions, click HERE
