Zombie fires continue to burn underground in Canada even in winters

British Columbia, Canada

More than a hundred "zombie" fires have continued to burn under the ground in Canada, even though winter has set in. 

These "zombie" fires, which are known as holdover fires or overwintering fires, have continued to burn under the surface in the winter months which has increased the risk of turning into full-blown wildfires in the spring season.

Currently, 92 zombie fires have been actively burning in British Columbia, and 54 have been simmering in Alberta, as per the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, with as many more continuing to burn in the Northwest Territories.

In Canada, wildfire activity generally peaks during the summer months, especially in the western provinces and territories where lightning strikes and dry conditions are common.

In Canada, the areas which are most wildfire-prone include British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. 

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There are vast forest areas in these regions which are susceptible to ignition in the right conditions. 

In 2023, 2,220 wildfires were recorded in British Columbia which damaged an area of 2,830,808 hectares (6,995,078.9 acres).

Sometimes, large fires continue burning in the winter months which damage soil and roots under the ground.

"Smoldering fires are flaming fires that have entered 'energy-saver mode," said Rebecca Scholten, who is a researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, in a NASA Earth Observatory post.

 "These fires are only just surviving based on the resources they have—oxygen and fuel—and can transition back into flaming fires once conditions are more favourable," he added.

Sometimes, these fires are visible only because of smoke rising from them. 

Is climate change keeping continued ignition underneath?

Some experts have blamed climate change for an increase in the severity and frequency of wildfires in Canada and the United States, as changing rainfall patterns and increasing temperatures contribute to drier conditions and increase fire ignition. 

This year a lot of zombie fires have continued to blaze across the country than usual.

"It's not something I've seen in any of the data sets," said Jennifer Baltzer, a professor in the department of biology at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, while speaking to local news CBC.

 "What we don't know is how many of these will actually translate to reignition in the spring. This is yet another indication of the impact of climate warming on these systems," she added.

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As per experts, these fires may have led to an increase in wildfires at the beginning of spring and summer, as per experts.

"It still feels like we haven't had enough time to get recovered, let alone get ready because here we go again," said Sonja Leverkus, a wildfire professor at the University of Alberta, while speaking to local news CBC.

"A lot of people talk about fire season and the end of the fire season, but our fires did not stop burning in 2023. Our fires dug underground and have been burning pretty much all winter," Leverkus added.

(With inputs from agencies)