British Columbia Is Burning 

Thank fuck SOMEBODY is addressing this.

I live in BC, we were affected. I saw it first hand. Thanks for putting us in the limelight!

That's part of the reason why natives burned forests every ten years or so. That and to remove the canopy in order to allow for smaller plants like berry bushes to grow. We're fighting fires but we shouldn't. In , fact, we should burn forests on purpose. That would make subsequent fires less destructive. The more you fight it, the harder it gets to fight it, because every year you're saving more fuel for next year's fire to burn. Forest fires are natural, and good for the forests.

Wow, this is crazy. Never thought I'd see my own back yard on Vice o.O

We are still burning as we speak. 2018 has been our worst year yet.

We live here and have seen stark changes, VICE is to be thanked for this report.

"here in BC we are known for our wet climate" is something that someone who never leaves Vancouver says...

Lol why is it always that the first people to comment on Vice videos are conservative trolls. There aren't that many of them, but the ones who do it are consistent and obsessed. Really kind of fascinating.

Re: the comments on this video... How are people so willing and able to accept wild conspiracy theories and way-out-there end-of-the-world predictions with crappy evidence, and then refuse to accept the one thing for which we have ample evidence, which could *actually* result in catastrophe?

I live here in B.C. I can't go outside most days and not see rampant chemtrailing in progress. For anyone who cares to look I suggest you go to "Weather Modification Incorporated" website and find the client page. Clearly states that B.C. Hydro and B.C. Forestry are and have been clients since 2004. Thinking that a decades worth of spraying aluminum, barium, strontium and other nano-particulates has no cause/effect on forest fires in this province is a madness.

I'm glad this got covered. The fires were so bad this year, and some of the employees were fighting the fires that were happening around there homes. Very sad.

Why don't people ask about the chemtrails being sprayed all over Vancouver? You think maybe that's doing something to the atmosphere, VICE?

I am too confused how are people disagreeing and thumbs downing this?

David Suzuki never ceases to amaze me, that was such a powerful monologue. We need more people like him!

Hey thanks for doing something on BC, I am not a tree huger nor do I really like watching things like this. But this was really well put together kept me informed without putting me to sleep. THANKS!

Really, really hoping we vote that dictator, anti-Canadian image, out of power.

I hate it when my igloo melts from a forest fire

Finally Oliver gets some recognition. I thought this town never would.

The woman with the forestry department said that they havent been allowing ground fuel to burn off during natural fires. No wonder they are having bad fires. What does global warming have to do with that? Same problem with california

The lady in the middle of this video explains the situation so articulately

Why Doesn't Bc and other parts of Canada carry out burn off? Here in Australia we do burn offs around this time of the year leading up to summer (3 months). prevents a lot of large fires near the Citys

WHAT IS WITH ALL THIS HATE?

I love vancouver and BC as a whole, it will always be my true home

A lot of people don't realize the fact that one reason we are having such intense fire seasons is due to fire suppression itself. The more fuel we allow to build up on the forest floor the easier these fires start and the more intense they become.

Vancouver is so beautiful

Living in BC, this really shocked us this year, and we had so many cutbacks from the Harper government that we were not prepared for this

Its amazing how many people are unwilling/unable to see the connection between human accelerated climate change and increased global fire intensity. Just to clarify the nonsensical banter on here, both arguments are right. It is climate change AND forest mismanagement. I have planted over 600,000 trees as well as thinned and spaced, and my family operates a 650ha woodlot. What I find frustrating is the Ministry Of Forests has know for decades that controlled burns and more thinning of juvenile stands is necessary for many reasons, but for the most part they have failed to implement these practices in much of the province. It's important we glean wisdom from these experiences. This cannot be the 'new normal' as the media keeps repeating, and its beyond naive to think we could even survive if we were to accept that, because this year was worse than last year, which was worse than the year before, therefore the new normal would insinuate it continually getting worse every year. I think a lot of people were close to their breaking point this year and it didn't start until August. Imagine if the smoke started in June and lasted 3 months instead of 3 weeks? It's very probably in fact more likely than unlikely. What's more is that the Earth is actually in a brief cooling phase which has just ended. Meteorologists and Climate scientists are saying that we are now entering a period that will see abnormally warm global temperatures, so unless we do something on the management side I have a hard time believing it wont continue to get worse. Fire suppression is the band aid, management heals the wound, lifestyle changes can heal the body. We absolutely must look at the problem this way. Reverse engineer the question and you see the more bandaids we put on we can think the body is healthy even when its not. All 3 have their place in the tool kit required to even attempt to fix this mess we're in. Living more practical lives is an example to our children that we are trying and we care about their future, and also an example for them to take into their lives as they grow. Do you think your kids will remember you for your gas guzzling Range Rover, or that you did your best to give them, and the rest of life on this planet, a future with clean air? If you really need a status symbol, buy a Tesla. Remember, the Earth gives us every single thing we have. Everything. There is nothing more important and definitely not the economy. When the planets natural regulators are disrupted, everything from manufacturing to global food production and resources will be greatly stressed. The economic losses will be unfathomable and permanently getting worse as food crops decline. The cost of prevention in hindsight will look like a drop in the bucket, much like getting your alignment fixed or not, and crashing full speed into a wall. Let's all work together, Im sure almost the majority of us want the same thing in the end. There are only 4 choices. science right, do something, science right do nothing, science wrong do something, science wrong do nothing. We now have A.I. and supercomputers working out these simulations, and it has become clear the science is right. So while some may disagree, there are now only 2 choices. We hold the future in the palm of our hands, its that real. We have to wake up from our catatonic slumber and act on the 'theories' that have turned to fact, not in a century or even a decade, but right in front of our very eyes, every year getting hotter,drier and smokier. Taking action on a personal level will at the very least give us and our children hope.

Vice is the best, every issue is fairly covered without bias.

Just a quick question: Is it possible that the fires are not getting worse because of global warming, but actually because of overgrowth? In the Western US, rangers used to put out fires all the time throughout the 20th century. This allowed overgrowth to grow and then cause huge fires that are uncontrollable.

Excellent video, big support for the hard working men and women of the B.C. Wildfire Service

BC resident here that works in the forestry industry and typically votes conservative. This is a pretty good analysis of the situation and most recent fire season. Next summer will likely be bad as well as El Nino weather pattern this winter typically gives us a lot of rain and not much snow at lower elevations. Not sure what all the downvotes are about, weird.

To anyone that’s arguing this and doubting what the video is saying. Just because you don’t like what you hear and what this reporter is trying to shed light on, DOES NOT MEAN ITS WRONG! These people he’s interviewing aren’t just internet trolling self taught researchers that get their information from the internet. They are people that have dedicated their lives to studying it and getting certifications to prove they know what the hell theyre talking about. This is a serious issue! Yes they’re talking a lot about climate change, no they’re not saying fires are only caused by climate change, there are many different factors. Climate change is so real! I’m a university student working as a bear guide in the Toba Inlet where there are two huge fires burning. This video is important on so many levels. This is the first summer I’ve seen in 20 years that had a terrible thunderstorm and lighting storm that caused 12 new forest fires on North Vancouver Island ALONE. That has NEVER happened before. Even the lighting is getting more intense. Why? Because everything is getting hotter. The world could be on fire and you STILL wouldn’t say it’s climate change. Ffs

It's weird this is from 2015 and 2 years later British Columbia wildfires have made Washington's air quality drop...we are almost worse than Hong Kong, those fires need to be put out!

I work in Vancity and I live in Surrey, feeling it fam. Our poor province :(

The chemical spraying in BC IS OFF THE CHARTS/

Fires weren't put out in those forests 200 years ago. What do you think would just happen if they let the trees burn?

I live in the region, and choked on smoke for over 45+ days.... people saying this is "normal" and not a result of climate change and environmental destruction need to STFU. Experience this first hand and not from some apartment in a city.

I'm nit-picking here, but the footage shown @ 15:08 is not India, but Pakistan. A channel like Vice News are not supposed to make such silly mistakes. Dents your credibility.

For 3 days in a row, in a recent July, we had bright orange skies in Vancouver BC. Cloudless skies. Bright orange! The light from forest fires change the sky. Next summer : smoke was the theme. Joggers were recommended to stay indoors, basically don't go out. In summer. The best time for outdoor fun. Vancouver is safe from Tsunami, protected by the Mountains on Vancouver Island, and thus sheltered from hurricanes. But fires, with all that fuel (forest), fire is a very real and increasing danger.

3 years later in BC it has gotten worse, this is 2018. Well, this year, not as much forest burned but a lot of them are infrastructure fires now, affecting a lot of communities and settlements. The smoke in the province is bad, but now has blown off. We need rain bad as of August!

Let it burn its self out like it’s supposed to for thousands of years, do not build near the woods if you do not take care of the land by removing the dead fuel (layers of dead stuff under the green,) making sure that 4 inch holes 4 feet down do shoot water bobs into them by passing that ash that will not let water through.

there was literally a fire right next to my house yesterday ( I live in west Vancouver)

During the peak wildfire season, hundreds of new fires were being reported every day, and the province struggled to get both the human and financial resources to keep up. VICE heads to BC to look at how the wildfires have affected the fragile BC ecosystem… *WATCH NEXT*: _Trawling Winnipeg's Rivers for the Bodies of Unsolved Murder Cases_ - bit.ly/1LmA8Zy

"we're the problem, we're the crisis, we've got to pull back"

Even worse now, BC’s in a state of emergency

It's interesting to hear them talk about how 2003 was a bad fire season because in california that was a terrible year as well, up until last year it was actually the worst fire year we'd had in decades.

The coast is very humid but the interior of British Columbia, such as Oliver which is shown in this video, is actually quite dry. It's just an extension of the drier interior plains of Washington and Oregon, the only difference being that BC is almost completely forested. Many people forget that fire is a natural component of the environment, and that many species of these trees need it in order to open their seeds, and create an open landscape for new growth and rejuvenation.

This Canadian lives in southern California. I'm watching the twin engined prop planes dropping water and/or retardant. Down here we have an emerging mini-airforce for that sort of thing, there are a lot of unused commercial planes about. I think I saw a 747 converted for that, but if it wasn't, it was a 737 or some other airliner. We've lost quite a few fire fighters, you start to think about that and realize, the risk these people are taking. They're incinerated. The fires move faster than they can run. One truck had 7 corpses in it. Another single firefighter was caught in a Firenado. A furnace at 2300 degrees F. Whole neighbourhoods are utterly untouched except for two or three random houses that "caught" some embers, which burn to the ground. Like a WWII air raid. We're at about 200 ft. above sea level, in the low desert, (Palm Springs) where it's as hot as Death Valley. Consequently, there isn't much fuel in our neighborhoods on the desert/valley floor. Two years ago we watched a fire as long as the mountain we were looking at, from our backyard. It burned from 8500 ft down to 4000 ft and quit, what a show. What do we do about it? You can do a lot to your house to prevent embers from lighting it up, so we have a two year plan to redesign the exterior. I've just finished installing a 5.1 kwh solar PV system with large battery backup that can charge our Electric car afternoons, straight from the sun and battery combination. We stopped burning gas in 2012 with our first Chevy Spark EV lease. On a spreadsheet, these changes over time reduce our costs dramatically, for power and transportation. Forget Global Warming, I do it because it's cheaper, and I'm Scottish. We now lease a Fiat 500e for $121/month. No maintenance, no fuel, just tires and wiper blades. It's the cheapest car I've ever had to operate, and it's brand new (2017) and marvellous to drive. But you live in Canada so you can't do any of that. So everyone thinks.

I live in Manitoba 2000km (1200 miles) away from BC and we had days where our sky would be full of smoke from these fires.

Why look at all the burning trees when sticking your head in the sand is so much more comforting?

Wildfires are a natural occurrance and serve important ecosystem functions.

Wow. I've never seen David that pissed off before

I am a bc resident as well living in a very affected place in the province no one realizes how none of the fires other states would call large don't get any media attention here.

No solutions, only complaints. Drive to work in a car or truck like the rest of us, have a house with gas and electric power like the rest of us. Until you change your lifestyle, you can't judge anyone else.

My dad's fighting 'the big one' and we FINALLY got to get a call from him last night. He says the prediction is all the fires will merge... I'm terrified for my dad, I know they are being cautious and safe but seeing everything? only hearing from him every once in a while? It's hard. I'm hoping for the best and praying for all the firefighters. I am not normally a fan of Vice but just to make it clear how bad the fires are... its bad. They aren't wrong there.

I live in BC and the summer of 2019 has been more wet and in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser valley there has been no smoke yet :)

this is why we need to let nature take its course instead of interfere with it

are people still dumb to not believe in climate change? -..- use some common sense and go to school also what is up with the dislikes

Wudup! Vancouver!

Damn. One of the best reports I've seen from vice. Keep it up!

It's shocking to have it happen to close to home, plus the oil spill, and chemical fire.

BC has fires again this summer this year 2018

I used to look forward to summer here in Canada. But the summer of 2015 made me look forward to winter when the smoke would be cleared up. Sad.

As a BC resident I don't understand what all the dislikes are for

Thank you David !!!

im watching this in florida, and "climate change" is an illegal word, should i call the national guard?

i'm in Kitsap county, WA & we had smoke really bad a few days this past summer.

I live in Central Wisconsi. Canadian smoke is a constant haze hanging and snuffing out our Sunshine

I remember when I went to bed one night it was calm and clear. Next morning I woke up and it was so smokey and a bit windy. I had to take the kids to school, the minute we walked outside you could smell the burning even though we lived no where near a fire. Thankfully we are right across the street from the school and the teachers were letting kids inside before the bell rang.

It just keeps getting worse and worse which sucks cause Vancouver used to be a place that experienced all 4 seasons properly now it’s just hot hot hot....even winters...

"lets put fences around people" David suzuki, thats some scary shit right there

I am not a "climate denier", but it has been revealed that the vast majority of these wildfires has been caused by human activity, which has increased dramatically since the snow melted. Also, it is important to understand that Canada has ignored repeated warnings from foresters that the boreal forests are at their end stage of life as mono species coniferous over growth forests. Native tradition speaks of annual controlled burns to keep end stage forests in control. Excessive industrial cash crop lumber industries use highly mechanized systems to over control forest fires to protect the value of timber. Finally, political agendas and "mainstream media narratives" use fear mongering to sway public opinion towards a "new green economy" protocol and the "Great Global Reset" as espoused by the Davos collective and the WEF.

sad coming back to this, to see Canada's most beautiful Province ablaze

Southern interior resident. Fires all around and smokey. Neighboring towns evacuated to our area. Volunteered at the center and see the people stressed out. Watching the news everyday to see if its near us. You really start to think about climate change when this sort of thing is happening. I think it may be time for change.

Chem trails are a legitimate concern out here in the west. They are spraying metal particles into the air every day when the air conditions/wind speeds are right. The metal particles capture moisture and carry it inland via the Jetstream. It works much like how aluminum in your deodorant is used as a antiperspirant. This effectively steals our rain here in the northwest and distributes it to inland area's affected by drought. They get water and we get burned, literally. I dont understand why so many people plug their ears or close their eyes to the questionable things our govt/large corporations are doing. Its like people dont want to know the truth, that they are happy in their apartments/cubicles, living like a hamster.

Thank you for putting up the video! I live in BC and my life was affected! The smoke gave my $90000 BMW a check engine light for ONE and HALF days ! utter madness. unacceptable.

i hope you guys are back doing another one this year

plant some trees quickly! it does make a difference

I go between Van and Creston. went by a burning one near Creston heading back home via Greyhound

actually this year in BC we put out fires faster than anywhere else in North America and we always spend over budget

Damn dude down here in langley it gets kinda foggy/smokey sometimes. We are lucky, we havent been affected that hard yet.

People are not realizing that this is from 2015 not 2017/2018. I live in williams lake, where one of the worst 2017 bc fire took place. We got evacuated for almost 2 months.

Fort mcmurray is with you, We went through the same thing and many of us know what this is like. we are with you.

In Vancouver, the sun was blocked out by smoke for a full week.

With B.C. as full of mountain ranges like it is one would think that near the bases of those mountains cisterns could be blasted out to catch the meltwater for use in drought conditions and fire fighting.

very informative about wildfires

Currently in nelson, bc. Can't see the mountains anymore... its literally all gray. The entire sky is filled with smoke.

For more than 30 years i echoed the resources needed such as aircrafts to be built and utilized to the best advantage to deal with active and passive fires this is vital as the Canada's geography is huge and the ever growing climate change ever evolving conditions The future aspirations is to build more installations and communities of receiving first aid from BC forestry services.

Damn, its kinda messed up that I thought this would be brand new and its not... :(

Great world class reporting compared to any Canadian news corporation.

Fire is a natural process. Fire crews are a make work project.

Fire is needed for the health of the ecosystem in the long term

Ok I got it! Driving your car down the street caused forest fires in the woods! Makes sense. One car for each fire.

I live in Vancouver BC, fucking smoke is still covering our city from the rest of BC's fires

I'm a snowboarder and this sux I want snow not rain is pain I want some crazy snow this year up in Oregon looking for 150in of snowfall I want that 300cm base

I just got back from visiting my family in BC and the fires were so bad that one night outside I could only see about 15 feet in front of me and it was so yellow it was as if I were wearing yellow tinted sun glasses

it is 2018 right now and I couldnt travel to Osoyoos due to the many forest fires. As we speak right now Richmond BC and the lower mainland isbeing blanketed by a layer of smoke ,it has been like this for weeks august 2018 its not getting any better

oh...I thought this was recent...this is 3 years ago...jeez...it hasnt stopped burning

its kinda sad seeing the young guy huffing and puffing just from walking up a hill. I'm glad to see my home getting to national and global attention it needs.

It hasnt been a "mild" winter where I live these past three years have been getting really cold and we've been having snow for the first time in 5 years