B.C. ranchers anticipate devastating wildfire losses as evacuation orders lifted
KAMLOOPS, B.C. — Ranchers in the centre of British Columbia’s cattle country are facing “heartbreak” as they return to scorched fields, dead livestock and damaged infrastructure following weeks of wildfires.
Kevin Boon, the general manager of the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association, said the process of tallying losses has just begun and could take some time because the extreme heat of the wildfires would leave little evidence of carcasses.
He said it’s expected hundreds if not thousands of cattle were killed or injured by the fires.
“The devastating part is done, and now the work really does begin,” Boon said Tuesday. “(The ranchers) have got a lot on their plate right now and the more that can be done to help them is going to be key to their ability to bounce back from this.”