PlaceDossier / Questions

Has my property burned in a wildfire?

The BC Wildfire Service has mapped fire perimeters since 1919. A report lists every mapped fire on the lot and within 2 km of it.

The report opens at this answer, with the lot drawn on the map and every other check alongside. A PID (on the tax notice or title) always finds the lot; an address works when it's an exact match.

What the answer means

What the record shows
The year, size and cause of each mapped fire on or near the lot. Older and small fires are less complete, especially before the 1950s.
What it doesn't
Past fire is history, not a forecast. The risk today depends on things the record doesn't show, like the forest around the lot, the slope and the distance to the nearest fire hall.
Insurance
Insurers ask about the fire protection area and the distance to a fire hall and hydrant. Ask the local government or fire department which area covers the lot.

A perimeter is the outer edge of a fire: patches inside it may not have burned, so a lot inside one may have been spared. Confirm with the local government or fire department before you buy or build.

Source: Fire perimeters – historical, BC Wildfire Service (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).

Across BC

Measured by us across BC's municipalities and electoral areas, 11% of the land (about 99,715 km²) is inside a mapped fire perimeter from 1996 on.

50°N52°N54°N56°N58°N60°N135°W130°W125°W120°W115°WVancouver: –Surrey: –Burnaby: –Richmond: 0.7%Abbotsford: –Coquitlam: 0.1%Kelowna: 11%Langley: –Saanich: –Delta: 0.4%Nanaimo: under 0.1%Kamloops: 1.9%Chilliwack: 0.1%Victoria: –Maple Ridge: –North Vancouver: –New Westminster: –Prince George: under 0.1%Port Coquitlam: –North Vancouver: –Langford: under 0.1%Vernon: 1.6%West Vancouver: under 0.1%Mission: under 0.1%Penticton: 0.2%West Kelowna: 36%Campbell River: 0.2%Port Moody: –North Cowichan: under 0.1%Langley: –Courtenay: –Squamish: 0.5%White Rock: –Fort St. John: 1.1%Cranbrook: –Salmon Arm: 11%Pitt Meadows: –Colwood: –Metro Vancouver, Electoral Area A: under 0.1%Port Alberni: under 0.1%Oak Bay: –Esquimalt: –Central Saanich: –Lake Country: 2.4%Sooke: under 0.1%Comox: –Whistler: 0.2%Powell River: –Parksville: –Dawson Creek: under 0.1%Sidney: –Prince Rupert: –North Saanich: –Summerland: 8.2%Terrace: 0.3%Saltspring Island: under 0.1%View Royal: under 0.1%Coldstream: 0.5%Nelson: –Williams Lake: 6.0%Sechelt: under 0.1%Quesnel: –Qualicum Beach: –Comox Valley, Electoral Area C (Puntledge - Black Creek): under 0.1%Cowichan Valley, Electoral Area B: under 0.1%Ladysmith: –Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C: 3.2%Castlegar: under 0.1%Revelstoke: –Kitimat: 0.2%Nanaimo, Electoral Area F: 2.8%Kimberley: –Nanaimo, Electoral Area G: –Comox Valley, Electoral Area A: under 0.1%Trail: 0.1%Nanaimo, Electoral Area A: 0.2%Comox Valley, Electoral Area B (Lazo North): under 0.1%Merritt: 0.3%Nanaimo, Electoral Area E: –Hope: 9.8%East Kootenay, Electoral Area C: 7.4%Fernie: –Kent: 2.2%Cariboo, Electoral Area A: 1.2%Southern Gulf Islands: –Peace River, Electoral Area C: 1.6%Peachland: 13%Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area A: under 0.1%Creston: –Osoyoos: 2.5%Peace River, Electoral Area B: 14%Smithers: under 0.1%Armstrong: –Cariboo, Electoral Area G: 11%Spallumcheen: 0.6%Juan de Fuca (Part 1): 1.1%Oliver: 0.7%Metchosin: –Duncan: –Cowichan Valley, Electoral Area C: –Central Kootenay, Electoral Area H: 9.2%Cowichan Valley, Electoral Area A: under 0.1%Central Kootenay, Electoral Area B: 4.7%Peace River, Electoral Area D: 9.9%Cariboo, Electoral Area F: 5.0%Cariboo, Electoral Area L: 5.7%Gibsons: –North Okanagan, Electoral Area C: 0.3%Nanaimo, Electoral Area B: –Cumberland: –Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area D: 8.8%Fraser-Fort George, Electoral Area D: under 0.1%North Okanagan, Electoral Area F: 5.6%Vanderhoof: –Nanaimo, Electoral Area H: 0.3%Central Okanagan: 10.0%Bowen Island: –Cowichan Valley, Electoral Area E: 0.5%Strathcona, Electoral Area D (Oyster Bay - Buttle Lake): 2.0%Sparwood: 2.0%Rossland: –Central Kootenay, Electoral Area F: 6.8%Cariboo, Electoral Area E: 4.7%Grand Forks: 0.1%Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area P (Rivers and the Peaks): 14%Okanagan-Similkameen, Electoral Area D: 27%Golden: –Okanagan-Similkameen, Electoral Area C: 35%Northern Rockies: 29%Kitimat-Stikine, Electoral Area E: –Invermere: –Port Hardy: under 0.1%Central Kootenay, Electoral Area E: 11%Sunshine Coast, Electoral Area E: –Cariboo, Electoral Area B: under 0.1%Lantzville: –Fraser-Fort George, Electoral Area C: 2.6%Cowichan Valley, Electoral Area D: –Sunshine Coast, Electoral Area D: –East Kootenay, Electoral Area F: 12%Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area F: 18%Central Kootenay, Electoral Area J: 21%Fraser-Fort George, Electoral Area A: 0.2%Pemberton: –Nanaimo, Electoral Area C: 0.3%Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area A: 2.3%Lake Cowichan: under 0.1%Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area L (Grasslands): 14%Mackenzie: 0.2%North Okanagan, Electoral Area B: 45%Kootenay Boundary D / Rural Grand Forks: 6.6%Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area F: 13%Houston: –Sunshine Coast, Electoral Area A: 0.2%Enderby: –Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary: 1.5%Kitimat-Stikine, Electoral Area C (Part 1): 0.2%Sunshine Coast, Electoral Area B: 0.7%Alberni-Clayoquot, Electoral Area E: 0.2%North Okanagan, Electoral Area D: 1.1%Central Okanagan West: 26%Princeton: 12%Cariboo, Electoral Area D: 7.3%Elkford: 0.4%Strathcona, Electoral Area C: 0.9%Peace River, Electoral Area E: 4.8%Sicamous: 0.3%Central Kootenay, Electoral Area I: under 0.1%Cowichan Valley, Electoral Area H: 0.8%Tofino: –Highlands: under 0.1%Fraser Valley, Electoral Area H: under 0.1%Cowichan Valley, Electoral Area G: –Sunshine Coast, Electoral Area F: under 0.1%Chase: 6.3%Tumbler Ridge: 4.2%Clearwater: –Anmore: –Port McNeill: –Okanagan-Similkameen, Electoral Area I: 18%Chetwynd: 0.3%Lillooet: 0.3%Okanagan-Similkameen, Electoral Area G: 37%Logan Lake: 5.3%Central Kootenay, Electoral Area A: 10%Okanagan-Similkameen, Electoral Area H: 12%qathet, Electoral Area C: under 0.1%Okanagan-Similkameen, Electoral Area A: 45%Fraser Valley, Electoral Area D: under 0.1%Okanagan-Similkameen, Electoral Area F: 4.0%Ucluelet: –Lumby: –Okanagan-Similkameen, Electoral Area E: 23%East Kootenay, Electoral Area B: 7.2%Squamish-Lillooet, Electoral Area C: 4.0%Alberni-Clayoquot, Electoral Area F: 9.3%Fruitvale: –One Hundred Mile House: 4.6%Harrison Hot Springs: –Cariboo, Electoral Area H: 4.2%East Kootenay, Electoral Area A: 6.5%Alberni-Clayoquot, Electoral Area D: 0.4%Cowichan Valley, Electoral Area F: under 0.1%Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area J (Copper Desert Country): 42%Central Kootenay, Electoral Area K: 6.2%Barriere: 88%Warfield: 0.1%Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area B: 7.9%Fraser Valley, Electoral Area G: –East Kootenay, Electoral Area E: 7.5%Ashcroft: 23%qathet, Electoral Area B: under 0.1%Burns Lake: 0.1%East Kootenay, Electoral Area G: 5.9%Central Kootenay, Electoral Area G: 3.4%Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area M (Beautiful Nicola Valley - North): 7.8%Kootenay Boundary C / Christina Lake: 1.5%Kootenay Boundary, Electoral Area A: 1.0%Keremeos: –Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area D: 38%Fraser-Fort George, Electoral Area H: 1.8%Nakusp: –Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area A (Wells Gray Country): 7.6%Fraser Valley, Electoral Area E: 0.3%Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area O (Lower North Thompson): 14%Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area E: 39%Cariboo, Electoral Area I: 40%Central Kootenay, Electoral Area C: 8.3%Telkwa: under 0.1%Central Kootenay, Electoral Area D: 9.1%Kitimat-Stikine, Electoral Area B: 1.0%Cowichan Valley, Electoral Area I: under 0.1%Kootenay Boundary B / Lower Columbia-Old-Glory: 0.9%Sun Peaks Mountain: –Lions Bay: –Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area E: 5.7%Fort St. James: –Fraser Valley, Electoral Area F: 0.3%Radium Hot Springs: –Taylor: 0.6%Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area C: 9.5%qathet, Electoral Area A: 0.2%Fraser-Fort George, Electoral Area F: 0.2%Gold River: under 0.1%Cariboo, Electoral Area C: 2.9%Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area E (Bonaparte Plateau): 39%Okanagan-Similkameen, Electoral Area B: 50%Salmo: –Fraser Valley, Electoral Area C: 1.1%qathet, Electoral Area D: under 0.1%North Okanagan, Electoral Area E: 6.3%Strathcona, Electoral Area B: –Squamish-Lillooet, Electoral Area D: 1.8%Valemount: –Kaslo: –Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area I (Blue Sky Country): 37%Montrose: under 0.1%Cache Creek: 42%Fraser Lake: –Queen Charlotte: –Alberni-Clayoquot, Electoral Area C: –Fraser Valley, Electoral Area B: 4.6%Strathcona, Electoral Area A: 0.8%Hudson's Hope: 2.8%Masset: –Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area G: 2.3%Canal Flats: –Mount Waddington, Electoral Area C: 0.7%Pouce Coupe: –Port Alice: –Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area N (Beautiful Nicola Valley - South): 14%Greenwood: –Mount Waddington, Electoral Area A: 2.4%Belcarra: –Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area B: 2.8%Central Coast, Electoral Area C: 12%Midway: 0.2%Cariboo, Electoral Area J: 23%New Hazelton: under 0.1%McBride: 17%North Coast, Electoral Area D: –Clinton: 3.3%Fraser-Fort George, Electoral Area E: 0.2%Alberni-Clayoquot, Electoral Area B: under 0.1%Stewart: –qathet, Electoral Area E: –Fraser Valley, Electoral Area A: 8.8%New Denver: –Port Edward: –Alert Bay: –Cariboo, Electoral Area K: 33%Stikine Region: 6.3%Central Coast, Electoral Area D: 1.2%Juan de Fuca (Part 2): 0.6%Tahsis: –Slocan: –Squamish-Lillooet, Electoral Area B: 20%Mount Waddington, Electoral Area D: 0.8%Fraser-Fort George, Electoral Area G: 3.8%Port Clements: –Granisle: –Sayward: 3.4%Kitimat-Stikine, Electoral Area F: 3.2%North Coast, Electoral Area E: –Squamish-Lillooet, Electoral Area A: 6.5%Hazelton: –Alberni-Clayoquot, Electoral Area A: 1.1%Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area B (Thompson Headwaters): 1.5%Wells: 0.6%Lytton: 59%Central Coast, Electoral Area E: –Central Coast, Electoral Area A: 0.7%Silverton: –Zeballos: 1.3%Kitimat-Stikine, Electoral Area D: 3.5%Kitimat-Stikine, Electoral Area A: under 0.1%North Coast, Electoral Area A: –Mount Waddington, Electoral Area B: –North Coast, Electoral Area C: under 0.1%

Colour: Share of the land inside a mapped wildfire perimeter since 1996Dot size: population

under 0.1%88%

Most land burned by wildfire since 1996

  1. 1Barriere88%
  2. 2Lytton59%
  3. 3Okanagan-Similkameen, Electoral Area B50%
  4. 4North Okanagan, Electoral Area B45%
  5. 5Okanagan-Similkameen, Electoral Area A45%
  6. 6Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area J (Copper Desert Country)42%
  7. 7Cache Creek42%
  8. 8Cariboo, Electoral Area I40%

All 215 places, ranked →

Source: Fire perimeters – historical, BC Wildfire Service (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).

Other questions: is my property in the Agricultural Land Reserve · is my property on a floodplain map · is there a mineral or placer claim on my property · does my property have road access · how close to a creek or lake can I build · how strong could earthquake shaking be at my property · are there water wells on or near my property · are there species at risk or protected habitat on my property.