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Bc Wildfire
Prescribed burns planned for Kenna Cartwright Park
KAMLOOPS - Expect to see smoke in the air later this month as the city works to protect our large urban nature park from a potentially catastrophic fire. The City of Kamloops is working with B.C. Wildfire performing a prescribed burn in Kenna Cartwright Park with the hope of completing it this month. Starting later...
Smoke leads Vernon firefighters to the Ministry of Forests
VERNON - The Vernon Fire Department attended the scene of a fire Tuesday not knowing the Ministry of Forests set it on purpose. The B.C Wildfire Management Branch planned the controlled burn just off Highway 97 in the Predator Ridge area but didn’t give the Vernon Fire Department any notice. Deputy fire chief Jack Blair...
So you want to be a wildland firefighter?
NOW IS THE TIME TO APPLY THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The wildfire season is just barely over but the provincial branch responsible for protecting us from wildfires is already getting prepared for next year. This past year crews attended nearly 350 fires, which burned a total of more than 3,800 hectares, in just the Kamloops centre. Across...
Air quality advisory remains in place
WAITING ON THE WEATHER TO CHANGE THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - It is mid-November and yes, that is smoke in the air. Unlike the summer when large wildfires in northern B.C. caused air quality advisories the smoke visible throughout the region is due to open burning. “There are hundreds of burn registrations issued,” Kayla Pepper of B.C. Wildfire...
Open burning goes ahead, smoke visible
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Cooler temperatures and lighter winds mean conditions are safe for open burning in most areas, and that means we can expect to start seeing more smoke in the air. B.C. Wildfire officials sayprivate landowners, Wildfire Management Branch personnel and industry partners are burning piles of wood debris to reduce wildfire risks. The provincial...
Why wildland firefighters keep coming back
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - It can feel like warfare; heading into a fire, in the middle of nowhere for days on end at the mercy of Mother Nature. Yet something about being on the battle lines draws in wildland firefighters season after season. For Jarvis Manuel, a 14-year veteran with B.C. Wildfire, it’s the people. For Thomas...
Half of all wildfires caused by people this year
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A total of 169, or 49.9 per cent, of all wildfires in the Kamloops Fire Centre have been human-caused this year. Kayla Pepper of B.C. Wildfire says of the 339 fires in the fire centre we are about as close to half as you can get right now, though usually lightning fires outnumber...
Fire bans open up as autumn weather settles in
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Fall does not just mean sweater weather, it also means open fires are again allowed throughout the region as temperatures continue to drop. Open fires will be allowed in the Salmon Arm Fire Zone as of Wednesday, Oct. 1. The ban was lifted for the Clearwater Fire Zone on Sept. 15. B.C. Wildfire...
UPDATE: Wildfire burning north of Princeton 90 per cent contained
PRINCETON - A wildfire north of Princeton is 90 per cent contained, as of Tuesday morning. The wildfire has grown to 182 hectares from the 110 ha estimated Monday morning. It is believed to be human caused, said Kayla Pepper, fire information officer with B.C. Wildfire. The fire was first reported Sunday at around 5...
Wildfire burning off Green Mountain Road 80 per cent contained
PENTICTON - The wildfire burning west of Penticton near Shingle Creek and Green Mountain Road is 80 per cent contained as of Tuesday morning. The fire is estimated to be 18.5 hectares in size and was quite visible when it began burning late Monday afternoon. There were five firefighters working overnight, and 26 firefighters are...
Crews work overnight to calm blaze between Oliver and Osoyoos
PENTICTON - A wildfire continues to burn between Osoyoos and Oliver in the Inkaneep and Mica Creek area. The fire is estimated to be 18 hectares in size as of Tuesday morning. It is burning Northeast of Osoyoos and Southeast of Oliver. No structures are threatened. There were 19 personnel on site Monday plus two...
Crews chasing abandoned campfires after ban ends
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The first weekend after the campfire ban was lifted, B.C. Wildfire crews were called to put out abandoned campfires across the region that could have resulted in much larger fires. “We had nine abandoned campfires, we definitely did see the number of calls go up,” Fire Information Officer Kayla Pepper says. “It is...
Campers rejoice, fire ban rescinded
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Recent cool, wet weather means that as of today, Thurs. Aug. 21, you can once again have campfires in the Kamloops Fire Centre one week ahead of the long weekend. B.C. Wildfire lifted the ban, which was put in place more than five weeks ago, following a decrease in wildfire risk thanks to...
Grass fire near Naramata fully contained
PENTICTON - A grass and open timbre fire burning north of Naramata on Naramata Road yesterday is now fully contained. The Naramata Fire Department is on scene and B.C. Wildfire has three personnel on site to help with mop up with another three-person crew to join later. A five-person Wildfire crew plus 10 fire fighters...
Ontario and Quebec sending more crews to help B.C. Wildfire
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – More than 220 personnel will arrive from Ontario and Quebec Friday and Saturday to help B.C. Wildfire staff in their efforts to battle blazes across the province. The incident management team and sustained action firefighting personnel will help over 1,600 provincial staff, 930 contractors and roughly 100 other out-of-province staff. An additional 80...
Australia to send support for B.C. Wildfire
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Several wildfire specialist management teams from Australia will touch down in Vancouver this weekend to help respond to several wildfires across the province. “The high number of active wildfires in the province is stretching our firefighting resources,” said Minister of Forests Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Steve Thomson. “In addition to the support...
B.C. Wildfire pilot forced to land with one engine
KAMLOOPS – A pilot flying a B.C. Wildfire plane carrying a load of retardant had to make an emergency landing at Kamloops Airport this morning. The pilot reported a mechanical issue, turned off the damaged engine and returned to the airport where the plane landed safely. The plane, a Convair 580, landed with one functioning...
Fire across from Tobiano golf course 100% contained
KAMLOOPS - The grass fire which started across the lake from Tobiano golf course Thursday afternoon is completely contained as firefighters remain on site for mop up. "It's barely smouldering," says fire information officer Melissa Klassen. Klassen says five firefighters remain on site and no longer need heavy equipment. The fire was quickly knocked down...
Planning for your fire-free long weekend
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you’re planning to go camping this long weekend, B.C. Wildfire says your fun will have to be fire-free unless you have an approved fire-safe stove. “All of the (Thompson-Okanagan) locations fall under the same campfire ban,” says Kelsey Winter, a fire information officer with the Kamloops Fire Centre. The only location without...
Botanie Creek fire further contained, staff moving to larger fires
KAMLOOPS - The fire camp for B.C. Wildfire workers is downsizing day-by-day as the Botanie Creek fire comes closer to extinction. Colette Fauchon, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Forests says the fire is now 65 per cent contained, and is currently mapped at 1,240 hectares. She says the fire will be turned over to...
ARCHER: Shoutout to all the fire crews
Last week the Thompson-Okanagan was literally on fire, as I’m sure most of you know—it’s hard not to ignore large puffs of smoke coming from mountain tops, hazy skies that make it hard to breathe and endless news articles on fire updates and evacuation notices. Most of us watch these fires spread from a distance,...
Evacuation alerts lifted for Apex and Jura mountain fires
PENTICTON - Evacuation alerts have been lifted for Apex and Jura mountain fires thanks to slow, steady rain falling in the South Okanagan and the hard work of wildfire crews. Evacuation alerts for the following homes have been cancelled as of Thursday morning, according to the RDOS: For the Apex fire: 146, 108, 22, 26,...
Lytton community comes together for displaced Botanie Creek residents
LYTTON - Residents of Botanie Creek Road gathered at the Anglican Parish Hall Tuesday afternoon didn’t get the news they were hoping for, but what they did get garnered a round of applause. They hoped to be allowed to return home but after six days away from their homes, hearing that power was going to...
UPDATE: Apex wildfire now 60 per cent contained
PENTICTON - The wildfire on Apex mountain has burned 345 hectares and is now 60 per cent contained. The evacuation alert issued Wednesday remains in place for the lower portions of Green Mountain and Apex Mountain Roads, though it has been lowered to nine properties from 13. B.C. Wildifre has also reduced the amount of resources...