Wildfires and wild weather keep Penticton fire crews busy

PENTICTON – Monday was a busy day for the Penticton Fire Department as they responded to three wildfires and numerous direct alarms.

The department responded to a second grass fire in a week near Commercial Way in the city’s industrial area around 1:30 p.m. yesterday, June 27, deputy chief Dave Spalding says.

“That’s an area where transients are known to move in and out of,” Spalding says, noting the fire was likely the result of cooking.

After last night’s thunderstorm, the department also responded to 13 calls in a relatively short time frame, including one due to a lightning strike south of town, which was out of the city's jurisdiction, and another to a lightning strike near Sutherland Road which kept firefighters busy for a half hour.

The B.C. Wildfire Service reports three fires were started in the Penticton area as a result of last night’s storm.

“We had lots of direct alarms from buildings as a result of the storm as well,” Spalding says.

The fire department also responded to an unauthorized burning in the Wiltse area, where a number of youth were gathered for a grad celebration. Police also attended that blaze, where Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth says roughly a dozen youth were celebrating and burning pallets. The gathering was disbursed without incident.


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Steve Arstad

I have been looking for news in the South Okanagan - SImilkameen for 20 years, having turned a part time lifelong interest into a full time profession. After five years publishing a local newsletter, several years working as a correspondent / stringer for several local newspapers and seven years as editor of a Similkameen weekly newspaper, I joined iNFOnews.ca in 2014. My goal in the news industry has always been to deliver accurate and interesting articles about local people and places. My interest in the profession is life long - from my earliest memories of grade school, I have enjoyed writing.
As an airborne geophysical surveyor I travelled extensively around the globe, conducting helicopter borne mineral surveys.
I also spent several years at an Okanagan Falls based lumber mill, producing glued-wood laminated products.
As a member of the Kaleden community, I have been involved in the Kaleden Volunteer Fire Department for 22 years, and also serve as a trustee on the Kaleden Irrigation District board.
I am currently married to my wife Judy, of 26 years. We are empty-nesters who enjoy living in Kaleden with our Welsh Terrier, Angus, and cat, Tibbs.
Our two daughters, Meagan and Hayley, reside in Richmond and Victoria, respectively.

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