Humans likely cause of weekend fire in Peachland

PEACHLAND – It may have been small but the Antler Beach fire in Peachland was human caused initial investigation has found.

The 0.3 hectare fire started Saturday, Aug. 27, B.C. Wildfire information officer Rachel Witt said and was quickly attacked by six firefighters, one helicopter and some air tankers.

“The air tankers were able to put fire retardant around the perimeter,” Witt added.

Witt said crews jumped hard on the spot fire just one kilometre off Highway 97 but calm winds and cooler temperatures that night allowed them to quickly gain the upper hand.

“It was caught early on and quickly contained,” Witt says. “And the weather was beneficial.”

Witt said the Antler Beach fire is now on patrol status with crews checking periodically for hot spots.

“It’s the final stage before calling the fire out."

The fire remains under investigation and is believed to be human caused, she says.


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John McDonald

John McDonald

John began life as a journalist through the Other Press, the independent student newspaper for Douglas College in New Westminster. The fluid nature of student journalism meant he was soon running the place, learning on the fly how to publish a newspaper.

It wasn’t until he moved to Kelowna he broke into the mainstream media, working for Okanagan Sunday, then the Kelowna Daily Courier and Okanagan Saturday doing news graphics and page layout. He carried on with the Kelowna Capital News, covering health and education while also working on special projects, including the design and launch of a mass market daily newspaper. After 12 years there, John rejoined the Kelowna Daily Courier as editor of the Westside Weekly, directing news coverage as the Westside became West Kelowna.

But digital media beckoned and John joined Kelowna.com as assistant editor and reporter, riding the start-up as it at first soared then went down in flames. Now John is turning dirt as city hall reporter for iNFOnews.ca where he brings his long experience to bear on the civic issues of the day.

If you have a story you think people should know about, email John at jmcdonald@infonews.ca