B.C. university will chart wildfire research

A university located in the heart of one of British Columbia's most volatile forest fire regions will lead new research in wildfire prediction and response.

Forests Minister Doug Donaldson says Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops was chosen for the research that will improve abilities to forecast, prevent and respond to wildfire emergencies.

He says the B.C. government will contribute $5 million to fund the B.C. Research Chair in Predictive Services, Emergency Management and Fire Science.

Donaldson says the Kamloops campus is located near Emergency Management BC and BC Wildfire Service operational centres and is supported by high-speed fibre optic connections and key transportation routes.

University president Brett Fairburn says the endowment allows the university to conduct leading research in wildfire modelling and to explore the relationship between climate change and the impacts on risk of wildfires.

B.C.'s Interior was the scene of record-breaking wildfires in 2017 and 2018, forcing community evacuations, destroying homes, forests and ranges and costing the province more than $1.2 billion.