Two fires in two days at Vernon’s Becker Park

VERNON – Vernon firefighters took swift action dealing with two separate fires in Becker Park over the last couple of days.

Crews dispatched to a grass fire about 6 a.m., Thursday, June 11 in the park, located behind the Vernon Rec Centre. Deputy Fire Chief Jack Blair says firefighters quickly doused a 40 ft by 60 ft blaze, possibly started by discarded smoker’s material.

“Carelessly discarded smokers material is definitely one of our biggest challenges,” Blair says. “You get a hot ember, it’s like a spark in dry grass. It doesn’t take much with a little wind and away it goes.”

The fire is not considered suspicious, and neither is the second one firefighters responded to this morning.

“It was in a stump (and) looked like it had been smouldering for quite a while,” Blair says. “I don’t know if we had a lightning strike or if it was something from discarded smoking material.”

There is nothing to suggest the Friday, June 12 fire, which was just off the trail, was set intentionally, Blair says.

An aggressive wildfire is currently burning near Lytton, and we’re lucky neither of the Vernon fires got out of control, given recent hot and dry weather.

“We’re set up and ready to go for summer activity and fire calls,” Blair says.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.