Calls to improve B.C. building codes as fires rage in California

As fires continue raging in California, there are calls here in B.C. to improve building codes to make structures more resistant to wildfire.

Felix Wiesner is a professor in the forestry department at UBC. He has been watching the California fires closely to understand the risk and how the severe fire happened so early in the season.

“We have more people living in the wildland-urban interface. We have hotter temperatures, longer summers, drier weather. In California, it’s a number of extremes coming together,” explained Wiesner.

B.C. is no stranger to wildfires, but Wiesner says building standards here need to be stepped up.

“Here in B.C., we don’t actually have strict, province-wide or even nationwide regulations,” Wiesner said.

California has very strict building codes, but they were introduced in 2022 and do not apply to homes built before that.

Wiesner says there are some things residents can do to protect their homes in B.C. that are cheaper than building a fire bunker.

“Limit the (amount) of combustible material you have, reduce the sizes of windows you have; you’re going to need vents that prevent embers from getting into the building,” he said.

He says what is happening in the Pacific Palisades is not surprising, given the area is at a high risk for wildfires, with dry conditions and the Santa Ana winds.

Mike Flannigan works with in collaboration with the B.C. Wildfire Service and as a professor at Thompson Rivers University in the Institute of Wildfire Science.

He says climate change is leading to a prolonged and more hazardous wildfire season here in B.C.

“The fires are getting more severe and we expect this trend in severity to increase,” he said.

Flannigan adds the wind in California is extreme and it is not what the area is used to.

“Typically, Southern California gets rain in October, November, December, and January,” he said. “This year they did not get rain, so the dry conditions with the extremely strong Santa Ana event (led to the current fires).”

Flannigan is pushing for a federal emergency management agency to help Canada be better prepared for wildfires, particularly since the season may start earlier than expected.