‘Scary’ finds in the B.C. backcountry
Harrison Hot Springs resident says careless activity ‘common thing’ in summer months
Spotting the messy aftermath of campfires and fireworks in the backcountry should give anyone pause.
With a dry summer setting in, the smallest spark can cause the biggest fire — think of the human-caused McLure fire that burned a vast swath of forest and destroyed homes in McLure, Barriere and Louis Creek in 2003. It was started by a carelessly discarded cigarette.
Rene Lemckert is an avid backcountry user.
A week ago on a ride up the Harrison East Forest Service Road, he came across a chilling site: A pile of recently used fireworks, casually tossed on the side of the road.
Beside it, a steep cliff with trees below.
“It’s pretty scary when you see that. (A fire) would be hard to fight,” he said Monday on the phone from his home in Harrison Hot Springs.
Unfortunately, “it’s quite a common thing to happen up there,” he added. “I like the outdoors and the backcountry. I see all sorts of things going on in these mountains that are scary.”
Lemckert, who’s now retired from 30 years working for the City of Vancouver, has been going into the B.C. backcountry since he was young. When he heard the Harrison East fire, burning since Sunday, was human caused, he thought of the discarded fireworks.
He has spotted young men firing guns off in any old direction, not taking care to see if there’s a road or people passing by in the direction of fire. He has come across the filthy aftermath of bush parties and campouts. They all worry him.
“Everywhere I go I see fire pits that weren’t put out properly. Something bad could happen,” he said.
“Wherever you go you see piles of beer cans.
“I hope they don’t burn the mountain down.”
The fire currently burning off the Harrison East road is north of where he spotted the fireworks last week. The cause is still to be determined, but the B.C. Wildfire Service suspects it was caused by humans.
Marg Drysdale from the B.C. Wildfire Service’s Coastal Fire Centre said the risk of fires starting from fireworks — which are currently prohibited — or careless campfires was anticipated ahead of the Canada Day long weekend.
“What it comes down to is general carelessness and a disregard for the rules that are put in place,” she said. “We talk about prevention all the time, we talk about campfire safety, what should and shouldn’t be done.
“We talk about campfire safety all the time ... but there are so many ways someone can start a (wildfire).”