B.C. Wildfire Service reminding residents to be more cautious with fire use

KAMLOOPS — Since the beginning of August, B.C. Wildfire Service personnel have responded to five new fire starts in the Kamloops Fire Centre and only two of them were caused by lightning.

When the B.C. Wildfire Service is forced to respond to suspected human-caused wildfires, it takes away valuable firefighting resources away from naturally occurring wildfires, the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development says in a news release.

“The B.C. Wildfire Service is urging the public to be more careful with fire use,” the release says.

Over the B.C. Day long weekend, fire wardens discovered and extinguished 32 abandoned campfires.

“Abandoned campfires can start wildfires. These sorts of incidents are preventable,” the ministry says in the release.

If ashes from a campfire are not cold to the touch, then the campfire has not been fully extinguished, the release says.

Anyone who leaves a campfire unattended for any length of time may be issued $1,150. If the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person may be responsible to pay all firefighting and associated costs as well as the value of the resources damaged or destroyed by the wildfire.

Currently, the fire danger rating in the Kamloops Fire Centre is generally moderate to high with pockets of extreme near Lytton, Princeton, and parts of the southern Okanagan region.

Since April 1, the B.C. Wildfire Service has responded to 118 wildfires in the Kamloops Fire Centre which have burned 1,696 hectares to date. Of those, 26 were caused by lightning and 92 are suspected to be human-caused.

To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on a cellphone.

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