Three early season wildfires in Kamloops Fire Centre

The wildfire season is off to an early start in the southern Interior.

The Kamloops Fire Centre is reporting three wildfires in the last two days, including a four hectare fire of unknown cause near the Dot Ranch Cut Off Road. The fire west of Kamloops was discovered yesterday, March 14.

The fire centre also reports a 0.3 ha wildfire near Shuswap Road on Saturday. The fire, which is believed to be human-caused, is considered under control.

A wildfire also broke out in the Farleigh Lake Road area, west of Penticton, on Saturday. The fire is believed to have been human caused and reached 2.3 ha in size.

Fire information officer Gaga Lidhran says all three fires are considered under control as of this afternoon, March 15.

"It's not uncommon to see early spring fires. Dead woody fuels and grass isn't green yet, and those can burn rapidly when combined with warming temperatures and winds such as what we had on the weekend," Lidhran says.

She says the public needs to be mindful and careful with any type of burning this time of year.

"Keep campfires to one half by one half metre and make sure they are cool to the touch when extinguished. Never leave them unattended and keep a shovel handy," she says.

All three of this weekend's fires are under investigation. 

— This story was updated at 3;26 p.m. March 15, 2021 to provide information from Kamloops Fire Centre fire information officer Gagan Lidhran.

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