Jas Grewal is a B.C. forest firefighter who spreads awareness about the causes of wildfires and how they are tackled.
From his experience, Grewal cited that 75% of forest fires are caused by lightning, while the remaining 25% are a result of human activity. That's similar to the official figures published by the B.C. government.
Grewal explained that a common cause of “man-made” forest fires are unattended campfires.
“People are at a campfire, and they leave the campfire to go do an errand,” he said. “They come back and it's just blown up.”
Campfire negligence was recently found to be the cause of the West Vancouver wildfire near Eagle Ridge. The blaze, which broke out the morning of Oct. 14, was West Vancouver's largest wildfire in recent memory.
“The burnt remnants of the camp contained evidence of open-flame cooking materials, with structures such as a cooking pit and table also found,” said Carrie Gadsby, spokesperson for the district.
Grewal had the following advice for campers: “If you're leaving your campsite, put the fire out. You can always start it up again. Maybe you need to buy more logs or something. A couple of bucks, but it's worth it when you're not setting the forest on fire.”
Alongside content about firefighting, Grewal is a fitness enthusiast and uses his social media platforms to provide advice on health and nutrition. Make sure to give Grewal a follow on his Instagram, TikTok or dedicated fitness website.
With a file from North Shore News
