B.C.'s wildfires have burned the equivalent of nearly 700,000 Canadian football fields of land already this season
The latest data from B.C.'s provincial government is providing a clear picture of just how devastating this year's wildfire season has been.
The province has provided daily updates with what it calls "quick statistics" about the fires, and the latest showed 567,950 hectares of land has been burned this year.
Putting it into perspective, Canadian football fields measure 8,152 square metres, or 0.8152 hectares – a bit larger than south of the border – meaning the area burnt by wildfires is the equivalent of about 696,700 Canadian football fields.
In NFL football fields, it's 1,063,208.
The City of Vancouver is 115 square kilometres, so the amount of land burned by wildfires is 49.3 times the size of the city. The metropolitan region is about 2,877 square kilometres. The wildfires have burned nearly two times that area.
If the fire-scorched land was all in one place, it could hold 18 parcels of land the size of Kamloops, 26 the size of Kelowna or 291 the size of B.C.'s capital, Victoria.
The Greater Toronto Area could fit inside nine times.
OTHER NUMBERS
Currently there are 292 wildfires considered to be active in B.C., according to the provincial wildfire service's interactive dashboard. Of those, 108 were sparked within the last week. A little over one-tenth of the fires were ignited in the last two days.
Since April 1 there have been 1,372 fires noted in B.C.
In terms of resources, the province said 3,612 firefighters and other personnel are currently fighting. Nearly 600 of those are from out-of-province.
There are 204 helicopters and planes supporting crews on the ground.
Sixty-three evacuation orders were in place as of Wednesday evening, issued for a total of 4,228 properties in B.C.
Another 103 areas are under evacuation alert, or 21,403 properties.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.