Canadian Foresfrx Journal. Jntic. iqi6. 



587 



The 1916 Fire Situation 



According to available reports the 

 season of 1916 in respect to likeli- 

 hood of fire losses is so far favor- 

 able. Precipitation has been heavy 

 in most sections and few serious 

 iires have been reported. New 

 Brunswick reports some losses. The 

 information thus far received from 

 the prairie provinces does not indi- 

 cate serious trouble, riritish Colum- 

 bia's report, printed below, contains 

 a hopeful forecast for 1916. In the 

 12,000 square miles patrolled by the 

 Lower Ottawa Forest Protective 

 Association nine fires have broken 

 Dut, one of them a settler's fire, 

 burning 200 acres. The rainfall, 

 while abnormally heavy in Ontario 

 and Quebec as a whole, is said to be 

 no more than normal in some of the 

 forested sections, where a few hot 

 days have caused serious lamage. 



Fire Cutlook at Coast 



Victoria, B. C, May 15. — Advices 

 to the Minister of Lands from the 

 southern interior of the province 

 mark the beginning of the fire sea- 

 son, small fires being reported from 

 the Cranbrook, Nelson and Vernon 

 forest districts. In the first-named 

 district the late spring is retarding 

 the growth of vegetation so es- 

 sential as a check upon fires running 

 along the ground and burning the 

 carpet of pine needles, twigs, dry 

 leaves, etc. A hot and dry wind 

 from the south is drying up the 

 vegetation in the Okanagan and 

 Similkameen districts, while hot 

 weather prevails throughout the 

 Vernon district generally. Farmers 

 and settlers are reminded that per- 

 mits are required for all fires set from 

 the beginning of May, for which ap- 

 plication should be made to the local 

 fire wardens. Campers, sportsmen 

 and travellers are urged to exercise 

 every care in extinguishing camp 

 fires, and the co-operation of all sec- 



tions of the community is desired in 

 order that damage to property may 

 be avoided. 



It is worthy of mention that in 

 1915, 305 fires out of a total of 1031 

 outbreaks, were traced to campers 

 and travellers, while 267 were caus- 

 ed by land clearing operations. Dam- 

 age by fires to the timber in 1915 

 amounted to S109.000, and other 

 property, viz., logging equipment, 

 farm houses and buildings, etc., 

 $58,000. The majority of all fires in 

 1915 were, as usual, due to human 

 agency, and were, therefore, pre- 

 ventable. Particularly this season, 

 when the Empire is engaged in a 

 vast and wealth-destro3'ing war on a 

 scale hitherto unthought of, it is the 

 duty of every citizen to assist in 

 preserving all resources from avoid- 

 able destruction. 



Fires Near Prince Rupert 



(Prince Rupert News) 

 The bush fires which have been 

 raging along the line of the G. T. P. 

 for the past few days still continue 

 and the company has had a stren- 

 uous time in saving several of their 

 stations from being wiped out. Spe- 

 cial trains of fire fighters were sent 

 from various points to help the men 

 of the forestry department in fight- 

 ing the flames. It was discovered 

 last night that fire had wiped out 

 the bridge on this side of Lake Kath- 

 lyn and a special party of bridge 

 men was rushed from Prince Rupert. 

 It is expected that they will have the 

 bridge rebuilt today in time to allow 

 of the passenger train from the east 

 getting through. 



