Planned burn during 2023 Shuswap wildfires could have turned deadly: report [Video]

British Columbia’s worker protection agency says a planned burn by the province’s wildfire service during the devastating 2023 fire season could have killed or injured multiple firefighters who became “trapped by extreme fire behaviour” that cut off their escape.

Inspection reports by WorkSafeBC say the BC Wildfire Service didn’t adequately ensure safety during the burn in the Shuswap region on Aug. 17 that year, and a group of trapped Brazilian firefighters had to retreat to a “safe zone.”

WorkSafeBC says they had to burn off fuel around their truck and spend the night because of low visibility, smoke, fire activity and falling trees.

They were picked up the next day by another crew that “cut their way into the site.”

“Other crews reportedly had to navigate off-road and around a burning pile of logging debris when the fire overcame the escape route causing damage to some trucks and causing one …