A year after Fort McMurray fire, experts warn more needed to deal with wildfire threat
EDMONTON – Experts warn it is only a matter of time before another community in Canada is ravaged by a sudden intense wildfire similar to the one that hit Fort McMurray.
And the insurance industry says governments aren’t doing enough to prevent destructive blazes before they happen.
In recent years, other big wildfires have caused extensive damage in Kelowna, B.C., and Slave Lake, Alta., or seriously threatened communities, including La Ronge, Sask., and Timmins, Ont.
“These were not one-offs. It is not a fluke,” says Mike Flannigan, a professor of wildland fire at the University of Alberta. “It is going to happen again.”