Bear Creek fire contained as province urges fire caution in Southern Interior this weekend

ALMOST HALF THE WILDFIRES THIS SEASON HAVE BEEN HUMAN-CAUSED

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Even as B.C. Wildfire pronounced the Bear Creek fire in West Kelowna fire 100 per cent contained, the ministry of forests is urging extreme fire caution this weekend throughout the Kamloops fire region.

This week saw a surge of wildfire activity, especially in the Okanagan Valley, the ministry is reporting.

From April 1, 2016 until yesterday, Aug. 15, the fire service has responded to 936 wildfires, just under half of which (443) were human-caused, the ministry says in a press release.

Fire danger throughout the province is generally moderate to high, with only some areas rated extreme. Campfires are still allowed in most areas of the province, subject only to local municipal or district bylaws.

Where allowed, campfires must be smaller than half a metre square and be centred in a fireguard area where all combustible material has been removed.

A hand tool or eight litres of water must be onhand to extinguish the fire and it must be cold to the touch before you leave it unattended.

If it’s windy, don’t light a campfire or keep one burning in windy conditions due to the risk of burning embers starting fires downwind.

To contact a reporter for this story, email John McDonald or call 250-808-0143 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.