Ministry of Forests and Range, Wildfire Management Branch

Fire Averages

The number of wildfires that occur on average every year in British Columbia is usually given as 2,000, with half caused by people and half caused by lightning. Because this is an average, it is different every year, and therefore this generalization is never totally accurate.

The current 10-year average*, taken from 2000 to 2009, is 1,969 fires, 41.0% caused by people and 59.0% caused by lightning.

The following table shows the number and percentage of people- and lightning-caused fires for last year and the 10 preceeding years.

Year Total Fires Total Hectares Total Cost (millions) Average Hectares
per Fire 		People-Caused Lightning-Caused
2010 1673 331,108 $212.2 197.9 693 (41.4%) 975 (58.3%)
2009 3064 247,419 $382.1 80.8 881 (28.8%) 2183 (71.2%)
2008 2023 13,240 $82.1 6.5 847 (41.9%) 1175 (58.1%)
2007 1606 29,440 $98.8 18.3 687 (42.8%) 919 (57.2%)
2006 2570 139,265 $159.0 54.2 1034 (40.2%) 1536 (59.8%)
2005 976 34,588 $47.2 35.4 591 (60.6%) 385 (39.4%)
2004 2394 220,518 $164.6 92.1 681 (28.4%) 1713 (71.6%)
2003 2473 265,053 $371.2 107.2 959 (38.8%) 1514 (61.2%)
2002 1783 8,539 $37.8 4.8 911 (51.1%) 872 (48.9%)
2001 1266 9,677 $53.8 7.6 787 (62.2%) 479 (37.8%)
2000 1539 17,673 $51.5 11.5 697 (45.3%) 842 (54.7%)
Average * 1969 98,541 $144.8 41.8 807.1 41.0% 1175.1 59.0%

* The average does not include the most recent year.