As peak wildfire season approaches in British Columbia, here's another reminder to be extremely careful with outdoor fires and other potentially dangerous activities. Last year, a Mount Baldy homeowner and a group of swimmers had to rush to the rescue when a gender reveal sparked a brushfire.
It continued a long list of horrific outcomes from this kind of celebrations and drew the ire of Redditors in the r/canada subreddit.
These events have caused deaths and massive wildfires, and they unnecessarily pollute Earth even when things go well.
In fire-prone areas, they are a tragedy waiting to happen. By early July 2023, there had been 619 wildfires in B.C., including 305 started by humans.
This year, the area affected in the province is only about 30% of last year's 1 million hectares thanks to rain and cool temperatures. Drier, warmer weather this month and next, however, is cause for concern, especially since there has been two years of drought in parts of B.C., the Powell River Peak reported. A record 2.8 million hectares of land burned in 2023.
The Jolly Lake gender reveal went awry when the banned explosive tannerite started a small inferno. Rob Iezzi and others used sticks, shovels, and jugs of water to put it out after someone alerted them to the fire, CTV News reported.
"We're happy it didn't spread," Iezzi said, noting it was "not the smartest thing to be doing in the woods, especially."
The outlet noted people who start wildfires via illegal activities could be fined $1,150 and have to pay for firefighting costs.
To prevent wildfires, take care with open flames, vehicle and engine use around dry vegetation, and items such as fireworks and sky lanterns; make sure you douse campfires and put out cigarettes properly.
There are also precautions to take to protect your home and neighborhood.
"People do this stupid s*** for social media attention," one Redditor wrote. "They want that attention so badly, they are willing to risk the lives and property of everyone else in the area.
"So give them the attention. Publish their names and photos and let everyone in the area know exactly who is willing to play with special ordered combustibles during burn bans, so the community can be more strategic and targeted in their vigilance when trying to protect itself from this selfish, vanity-fuelled stupidity."
Someone else said: "Honestly these parties need to end. They just seem to cause problems in an attempt to get attention."
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