'Human-caused' isn't always clear: Why reckless humans aren't to blame for BC's fire crisis

A bird touches a power line and explodes in a ball of feathers and flame. Its carcass falls to the ground, setting the dried-out brush ablaze.

Another “human-caused” fire has begun.

Every year, hundreds of wildfires in British Columbia are declared to be “human-caused.” Such statements regularly prompt declarations that if only people behaved themselves, wildfires wouldn’t be quite so disrupting. Others increasingly use the statistic to conspiratorially blame wildfires on “arsonists.”

But as our unfortunate bird demonstrates, many fires blamed on humans aren’t actually related to reckless behaviour. Instead, humans play a much more complex and varied influence on wildfire ignitions than many realize. And that has a bearing on how—and when—we seek to prevent such blazes.

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