Prince.Skeletor
Don’t Be Like He-Man
And there’s so much smoke
So I checked online why..
Canada is no stranger to wildfires. However, the 2023 wildfire season was the worst on record. Over 6,500 blazes scorched more than 48 million acres of forest across Canada, a 170 percent increase over 2022. The wildfires finally seemed to die down when the snow arrived, bringing relief to affected communities.
However, as the snow began to melt, a new challenge emerged. Many of the fires had not been fully extinguished. They were simmeringunder the snow, waiting for warmer weather to reignite. These "zombie" fires have now roared back to life, forcing thousands of people in British Columbia and Alberta to evacuate their homes.
What are "zombie" fires?
Zombie fires get their name because the wildfires seem to come back from the dead. Also known as holdover or overwintering fires, the flames can burn underground for weeks, months, or even years. They are sustained by organic matter such as peat, which is highly flammable.The blazes emerge when the ground is struck by lightning or when farmers set controlled fires to burn excess vegetation.
Experts say that most years, the melting snow goes deep underground and extinguishes the hidden flames. However, British Columbia and Alberta have received less snow than usual for the past three years. The lower precipitation and warmer winter temperatures have enabled the fires to continue simmering in the densevegetation layers under the snowpack.
