TNRD warns of landslide and flood risk in wildfire-scarred South Cariboo
A special weather statement is in effect for the area, with heavy rain and wind raising the threat of debris flows.
KAMLOOPS · The Thompson-Nicola Regional District is urging people affected by this summer's wildfires to prepare for potential landslides and floods as heavy rain and strong winds move into parts of British Columbia. Officials are particularly concerned about the South Cariboo region, where the massive Pear Lake Fire burned through parts of the Bonaparte Plateau. A special weather statement is in effect for the area, and the TNRD cautions that strong winds could blow over dead or damaged trees. The district's Emergency Operations Centre says the main worry is not the volume of rain but its impact on recently burned landscapes.
"The amount of rain that it looks like we’re going to get in the interior isn’t concerning, the concern is the potential impacts of rain on burn scars from particularly the Pear Lake wildfire and areas that have been severely burned," said TNRD EOC spokesperson Colton Davies. He said the risk of debris flows and flooding will be an ongoing problem for the foreseeable future. The dangers typically persist for one to two years after a severe fire, as water runs off hardened soil and can pull the land with it. The threat of overland flooding from rainstorms can last even longer.
Davies noted that the district is familiar with this cycle, having dealt with the aftermath of the Bush Creek East fire in 2023 and the Shetland Creek fire this year. He pointed to a washout on Douglas Lake Road last year, four years after the White Rock Lake fire, as an example of how long the hazards can last. Properties near creeks, streams or at the base of steep terrain are most likely to be impacted, especially if the surrounding area was severely burned. "Unfortunately that means for people who have just gone through the summer wildfires we’ve had, and the Pear Lake Fire specifically, most people haven’t had a chance to breathe and now have to worry about the risk of flooding or debris flows," Davies said.
The provincial government has provided the TNRD with a Post-Wildfire Natural Hazard Risk Assessment report. This document maps burned areas by severity and gives an early indication of which zones face low, medium or high risks of hazards like debris flows, landslides and rock falls. "It shows areas that have burned based on their severity and it gives an early indication of the low, medium and high risk areas," Davies said. A more detailed analysis is expected in December, which will more precisely pinpoint the areas at greatest risk.
With files from CFJC Today Kamloops