Current forest fires already double last year’s numbers
Current forest fires already double last year’s numbers
28 May 2012
published by www.cbc.ca
Canada — Summer hasn’t even officially started yet, but the cost of fighting forest fires is starting to add up.
The Ministry of Natural Resources reports there have already been nearly 400 wildfires in Ontario this year.
An average year sees slightly more than 200 fires.
The numbers point to another expensive fire season for Ontario, according to Natural Resources Minister Michael Gravelle.
A normal forest fire year, if one can define anything as normal in that reality, is between $75 and 100 million, he said.
Last year the minister at the time had to go back to treasury board and we ended up spending $230 million.
Last year, fire crews had their hands full with wildfires that threatened communities in northwestern Ontario.
Gravelle said its too early to start calculating exactly what the current fires in the northeast have cost to fight.
There are currently 30 fires burning in the northeast region.
