Photo: Northwest · CC BY-SA 4.0Earthquakes are Brentwood’s biggest hazard: $0.36 of damage a year per $1,000 of buildings, 12 times the norm
Wildfire is rare near Brentwood: 0.2% of the land within 25 km has burned since 1986, a burn rate of 0.004% a year. In Health Canada’s survey, just 0% of homes tested in the area exceeded 200 Bq/m³ (6.6% typical). Hazard risk gives Brentwood a grade of B; its wildfire band pulls it down.
What stands out about Brentwood’s hazards
For Brentwood, from NRCan’s seismic model, Health Canada’s radon survey, the national burned-area record and the flood map inventory.
What Brentwood faces
Each hazard against its own yardstick; meters run from low to high on that yardstick.
Wildfire
Earthquakes
Radon
Flood study
Hazard risk in Brentwood: B
Two inputs always count for Brentwood, earthquakes and radon; the third, wildfire, counts only against a town.
Its place: #35 of 254 in British Columbia and #1,485 of 2,589 Canadian towns.
How sure: Earthquake losses are a model’s expectation over many years, not a forecast for any one. The burned-area record misses fires under about 10 ha and most grass and farm fires.
Little of the land around Brentwood has burned: 0% within 5 km, 0.2% within 25 km since 1986
Past fire around Brentwood’s homes, from the national burned-area record, with the fuel within 5 km.
Around Brentwood fire takes 0.004% of the land in a typical year, the typical Canadian town 0.000%, which is low.
Since 1986 the nearest fire to Brentwood’s homes came within 12 km, never inside 5 km.
The forest starts beyond town: 4.1% of the land within 5 km of Brentwood’s homes is forest fuel, against 41% within 25 km.
Shares of land within 5 and 25 km of populated blocks: burned at least once in 1986–2025 (CWFIS burned-area composite), forest fuel and grass (fire behaviour fuel types, 2026, 250 m grid).
Burn rate a year, towns in British Columbia · highest of 255
In the lower half in British Columbia: Brentwood at 0.004% a year, 144th of 255, far from Oliver’s 0.98%.
Each bar: the yearly average share of land within 25 km of a town’s homes that burned, 1986–2025 (CWFIS); the seven highest towns of 2,500 people or more.
7.5% of Canada’s 2,610 towns burn fast enough to rank moderate or above; Brentwood stays low, with 92%.
Bands of the yearly burn rate: low under 0.05%, moderate under 0.25%, high under 1%, very high 1% or more; towns of 2,500 people or more.
Fire danger and active fires (CWFIS)
Canadian Wildland Fire Information System: National Burned Area Composite 1986–2025 and fire behaviour fuel types (2026), Natural Resources Canada. Measured within 25 km and 5 km of each populated dissemination area; past fire, not a forecast.
No flood study is listed for Brentwood
What Canada’s Flood Map Inventory lists for Brentwood: who studied flooding and where to see their maps.
The inventory has nothing for Brentwood, but a local or conservation-authority map may still exist.
Towns with a flood study on file
76% of towns in British Columbia have a flood study, more than Canada’s 58%; Brentwood is not yet one of them.
NRCan Canada Flood Map Inventory: a study footprint touching the town’s boundary; towns of 2,500 people or more.
The grade leaves flood out, since a study area says nothing about how many of Brentwood’s homes are at risk.
The inventory’s own caution (NRCan): “The Canada Flood Map (CFM) does not include every flood hazard map in Canada and may be incomplete or contain inaccuracies. It should not be relied upon as the official source of flood mapping information. Furthermore, if a map appears to be missing, this does not necessarily mean that the area has never been mapped. For the official version of a map, updated information, or confirmation of applicable regulations, please contact the local authority responsible for flood mapping.”
Shaking is Brentwood’s costliest hazard: $0.36 a year per $1,000
Expected yearly building losses from earthquakes, from Natural Resources Canada’s model.
At $0.36 per $1,000, Brentwood carries roughly 12 times the typical Canadian town’s earthquake risk ($0.030).
Figures for earthquake risk are published for the city of Burnaby as a whole, not for Brentwood alone.
Shaking damage a year per $1,000 of building value
Earthquake risk around Brentwood ($0.36) matches the middle in British Columbia ($0.36), far from Duncan’s $1.33.
NRCan seismic risk model (2022): mean yearly building loss per $1,000 of value; medians of towns of 2,500 people or more.
Few of Canada’s 2,611 towns face more earthquake damage than Brentwood: 4.9% of them.
Each column: the share of Canada’s towns of 2,500 people or more in that range of yearly loss per $1,000 (NRCan, 2022).
For Brentwood the model prices shaking damage to buildings, nothing more.
Natural Resources Canada, Canada’s Seismic Risk Model (2022), by census subdivision (2016 boundaries; a few 2021 subdivisions take their residents’ mean).
0% of homes tested around Brentwood are over the radon guideline
Long-term radon tests in homes across the survey area, against Health Canada’s guideline. · The radon tests numbers here cover the Fraser North health region
Fewer homes than usual test high around Brentwood: 0% against 6.6% for the typical Canadian town.
Tested homes over 200 Bq/m³
Over 600 Bq/m³
Fewer homes top the guideline around Brentwood (0%) than in the typical town in British Columbia (1.8%).
Health Canada radon survey (2009–2011), by 2007 health region; medians of towns of 2,500 people or more.
Radon rarely tops the guideline around Brentwood, as for 37% of Canada’s 2,611 towns; 63% see more.
Each bar: the share of Canada’s towns of 2,500 people or more whose survey area had that share of tests over 200 Bq/m³.
Health Canada advises testing every home, Brentwood’s included, whatever the area’s figure.
Health Canada, Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes (2009–2011).
Where to get warnings in Brentwood
Environment and Climate Change Canada issues the weather alerts for Brentwood; Alert Ready carries the urgent ones to phones, radio and TV.
| Alert | What it means |
|---|---|
| Warning | Severe weather is happening or about to: act now. |
| Watch | Conditions favour severe weather: be ready. |
| Advisory | Weather that is less severe but could disrupt the day. |
| Special weather statement | Unusual weather worth knowing about. |
| Special air quality statement | Poor air, often wildfire smoke. |
For fires near Brentwood, the national fire information system maps danger and active fires daily; local authorities give any evacuation order.
Weather alerts (ECCC) · Alert Ready · Fire danger and active fires (CWFIS)
Hazards in the places around Brentwood
Wildfire band, earthquake risk, radon and flood studies for each place nearby.
| Town | Wildfire | Quake $/1,000 | Radon | Flood study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brentwood | Low | $0.36 | 0% | None listed |
| Holdom 7,976 · 1.2 km | Low | $0.36 | 0% | None listed |
| Heights 22,141 · 1.8 km | Low | $0.36 | 0% | Yes |
| Broadview 8,008 · 2.2 km | Low | $0.36 | 0% | None listed |
| Deer Lake 8,417 · 2.3 km | Low | $0.36 | 0% | None listed |
| Lochdale 7,463 · 3.0 km | Low | $0.36 | 0% | None listed |
| Montecito 10,734 · 3.2 km | Low | $0.36 | 0% | None listed |
Fire is no heavier anywhere nearby than around Brentwood (low), with Holdom next at low.
Radon is the survey area’s figure, so neighbours in one area share it.
Get ready for what Brentwood faces
What to do about the hazards Brentwood faces, and what to ask before you buy.
- Test for three months in winter.
- Over 200 Bq/m³: fix it.
- Kits are cheap; pros test too.
- Never drive through floodwater.
- Move papers and medicines upstairs.
- Ask whether your street is mapped.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap the water heater down.
- Keep 72 hours of supplies.
- Has it had a radon test?
- Ask the municipality for flood maps.
- Are flood and wildfire insured?
- Is earthquake cover included?
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Wildfire counts one way. For Brentwood, wildfire means how much nearby land burned in the past forty years, a one-way input that can pull Risk down and nothing more.
- Radon is a survey. Health Canada’s survey tested some 14,000 homes over three months; until postal-area boundaries are loaded, Brentwood takes its 2007 health region’s share.
- Flood studies aren’t flood zones. The flood inventory points to maps; it is incomplete and not the official source, so ask the municipality about any street in Brentwood.
- Earthquakes are modelled. Seismic risk is NRCan’s model of yearly building losses from shaking, averaged over many years and given for Brentwood’s census subdivision (a neighbourhood shows its city’s).
Questions about flooding and hazards in Brentwood
Does Brentwood flood?
Nothing is listed for Brentwood on the national inventory (0); local maps may still exist with the municipality.
How is Brentwood’s Hazard risk Grade worked out?
Brentwood’s Hazard risk grade is B, built on earthquakes and radon with a one-sided wildfire input.
How big is the earthquake risk in Brentwood?
In NRCan’s seismic model, Brentwood’s buildings lose $0.36 per $1,000 of value in an average year.
Is radon a problem in Brentwood?
In Health Canada’s survey, 0% of 108 homes tested in Brentwood’s area were above 200 Bq/m³, though only a test tells you about one house.
Is Brentwood at risk of wildfire?
Less than most of Canada: 0.2% of the land within 25 km of Brentwood has burned since 1986, the last in 2022, a low band that leaves Risk alone.
Seismic risk: Natural Resources Canada. Radon: Health Canada. Wildfire: Canadian Wildland Fire Information System. Flood studies: Natural Resources Canada, Canada Flood Map Inventory. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.
Sources: NRCan, Canada’s Seismic Risk Model 2022 · Health Canada, Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes · CWFIS, National Burned Area Composite and FBP fuel types · NRCan, Canada Flood Map Inventory. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).