Canada wildfires: Why are firefighting helicopters throwing flames at burning forests?

As more than 400 wildfires continue to flare uncontrollably in the Canadian state of British Columbia, footage is going viral on social media depicting the firefighting helicopters spraying flammable liquid on the burning forests. The footage has gained exposure as the Canadian firefighters battle the raging forest fires in the Northwest Territories that led to the evacuation of more than 35,000 people. Home of a small community comprising nearly 120 people was charred to the ground in the wildfires, as the blazes spread to Kelowna, a city located 300km (180 miles) east of Vancouver that hosts a population of 150,000.

While British Columbia imposed a state of emergency to tackle the fast-spreading wildfires, the worst on record this season, a viral footage showing the firefighting helicopters throwing flames over the burning areas has puzzled social media. Some users propelled conspiracy theories that the 1,000 wildfires burning in Canada may have nothing to do with climate change but that the Canadian government may be intentionally spreading the blazes. 

WOW - Actual drone footage of a helicopter dropping flames onto the trees in Canada! 😳😳😳https://t.co/j5bfnJTkRK

— Peanut Butter Box is Here (@PBBoxIsHere) June 9, 2023

I saw a video today of a helicopter in Canada spraying a flame thrower type device into the Forrest to set fires.

— MaggMountains (@MountainMagg) June 8, 2023

ARCHIVE THIS • From British Columbia watching the fires get started with a helicopter.#canada #fires #britishcolumbia #trees #nyc #detroit #pennsylvania #smoke pic.twitter.com/2H7vm4rI5Y

— THE FULTON TIMES (@TheFultonTimes) June 7, 2023

"Canada used drones with flame throwers attached to them and helicopters to start fires all across the country, [Justin] Trudeau called it climate change," a user on the microblogging platform X formerly known as Twitter said. "They started the fires with drones and helicopters dropping fireballs," another user claimed, sharing the video.

Helicopters using wildfire dousing technique 'controlled burn'

A reverse image search of the footage by The Cube found that the footage was authentic and was first posted on the video-sharing platform Youtube by British Columbia’s Wildfire Service in June. The helicopters in the visuals are conducting "planned ignition" on the Donnie Creek wildfire with Heli-torch, a flame-throwing helicopter that is equipped with a container filled with a fuel mixture.

While users wondered if the helicopters were behind the escalation of the wildfires, it is to be noted that "fighting the fires with fire" is a well-known technique known as the 'controlled burn.' Several helitorch helicopters were also previously spotted dousing the Rocky Fire, the largest in the United States that charred about 67,000 acres (27,000 hectares) in Lake, Yolo, and Colusa Wildfires counties. 

Ever wonder how a Helitorch works🤔 here ya go pic.twitter.com/JZYHnzSCkL

— HeliSlacker (@HeliSlacker) October 11, 2020

CAL FIRE uses various devices, including the helitorch shown in this video, to ignite vegetative material on wildfires & vegetation management projects like #PrescribedBurns. Resources such as equipment, personnel, a burn plan & a water supply are essential, too. #ToolsOfTheTrade pic.twitter.com/jYJvWovF3u

— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) March 29, 2022

"Hotshot" crews start a firebreak by surrounding an area with a dirt path where fires burn without any fuel eventually dousing out. The flame-spilling helicopters spew a mixture of gasoline and diesel on the wildfire that takes it out. “Planned ignitions are an essential wildfire management tool to remove forest fuels and bring the fire’s edge to established control lines with less intensity than free burning fire, thus reducing the ability for further spread,” British Columbia’s Wildfire Service explained in a statement.