September 13, 2005

Burns Bog is burning again. As I write this in my new North Burnaby apartment I can smell the smoke, thick, coming in through the window. The entire GVRD (see the parks map) is covered in smoke and ash is falling. I picked the wrong time to start jogging again.
posted by InsolentChimp 18 years ago
  • /marshmallows
  • What an unfortunate name, they were just asking for it.
  • Those things burn for years and there ain't nothin' no one can do about it. It smells nice, though.
  • Perhaps the bog was named that for a reason? Now I am very curious as to the smell of a bog on fire... Are you able to take some pics IC? *snifffffffff*
  • Very sad. It's a real ecological gem and so close to a large urban area. 40 km across the strait in Nanaimo, we're getting lots of smoke as well, depending on which way the wind is blowing. They've been using the ernormous Martin Mars water bombers to fight the fire.
  • I shall inform Lord Vader!
  • Long-term, the bog'll probably be better off for the burning. Assuming that it's allowed to recover, that cattle don't graze and trample it, etc. There's a burned mountaintop just a few miles from me. I climbed it this spring, a year and a half after it burned... it still looks like hell. I hope to visit it every couple of years to watch the forest regenerate.
  • Someone bump MCT. He's skipping.
  • Are you able to take some pics IC? I really wish I had an opportunity to get out there while it was ablaze. That and I wish I had bought a digi camera. Update: some farmer complained about the water level on his land so they drained the bog resulting in some nice dry peat. Didn't he realize that he bought land next to a bog? Assuming that it's allowed to recover, that cattle don't graze and trample it, etc. Only a small 60 ha. of the bog is a preserved habitat, the rest is owned by Western Delta Lands Inc., which wants to develop it into a billion different schemes. Luckily, all their plans lack approval by the municipal or provincial gov't. And that part is almost 40 times the preserve. They've been using the ernormous Martin Mars water bombers to fight the fire. 2 of them and 9 Firecats. The Delta fire fighters bombed the place for a good 2 1/2 hours; enough to send in a 65 man crew "safely" to fight on foot. I can't smell the smoke right now, but I might just be used to it. And all sympathies to the people who get regular "air quality" warnings. This is a pretty uncommon occurance around here.
  • Jesus. I'm in downtown Vancouver and it smells like a goddamn campfire. By the way, these fires are very dangerous to fight on the ground. Essentially you can step where a fire has been burning underground and fall through into the fire.