Cause of Mt. Boucherie grass fire in West Kelowna under investigation

Firefighters were called to the south slopes of Mt. Boucherie in West Kelowna this afternoon to put out a grass fire.

The blaze near Darroch Field was called in by a member of the public around 2 p.m. today, June 14, according to a West Kelowna Fire Rescue media release.

The fire department says crews had to battle the quickly growing fire that was driven uphill by strong winds.

Fire chief Jason Brolund said that’s a common scenario on a hot Okanagan afternoon.

Crews put a hand line and hand guard and the fire in difficult terrain.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by RCMP and bylaw officers but witnesses reported seeing people flee the area at the time smoke was seen.

In the release, chief Brolund thanked the public for the prompt reporting of the grass fire.

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