Fire
Overnight brush fire on highway north of Vernon ‘could’ve been a different story’
SPALLUMCHEEN - Emergency crews took no chances with a brush fire burning on a slope off Highway 97 Wednesday night. Armstrong-Spallumcheen fire chief Ian Cummings says the half-acre blaze was reported just after 9 p.m., Aug. 26, just north of Greenhow Road on Highway 97. “It was quite visible, there was pretty high flames. We...
Senior woman dies in fire at Kamloops retirement home
KAMLOOPS — A Kamloops woman has died from her injuries after her room caught fire in a downtown senior’s complex yesterday, Aug. 24. Platoon Capt. Troy Grant says Kamloops Fire Rescue and paramedics responded to the call at Glenfair Complex on Glenfair Drive around 10:20 p.m. and determined the woman fell asleep in her chair...
Small North Okanagan town bands together for Rock Creek fire victims
GRINDROD - A small community in the North Okanagan area is rallying together for victims of the Rock Creek wildfire. The Riverfront Pub & Grill is organizing a Ride for Rock Creek to assist people affected by an aggressive wildfire east of Osoyoos in the Rock Creek area. The human-caused fire destroyed 30 homes and...
Illegal burn doused by Vernon firefighters
VERNON - Vernon firefighters are reminding the public there is still a fire ban, something a local man apparently didn’t know. About 10 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 20, the Vernon Fire Department was called out to the 7300-block of Old Stamp Mill Road for a burning complaint. “It was a homeowner there claiming he didn’t know...
RCMP investigating suspicious fire at pizza shop
KAMLOOPS — A RCMP investigation is underway into a fire at a pizza shop which started after an accelerant was thrown through a broken window early this morning Firefighters extinguished the fire in the 400-block of Victoria Street around 5 a.m., Aug. 20. RCMP say investigators are still trying identify a suspect. If anyone saw...
No smoke alarms in fire that destroyed trailer on Ord Road
KAMLOOPS — A fire could have gone much worse at the Apple Valley Trailer Park according to a Kamloops Fire Rescue Inspector. Ray Webster says there were no smoke alarms detected in a trailer which went up in flames around 10 a.m. today, Aug. 19. “This could have been far worse,” he says. A neighbour...
Police investigating apartment fire that left two Vernon men with severe burns
VERNON - A pair of Vernon men were airlifted to Vancouver last week after suffering serious burns in an apartment fire. The two men, ages 20 and 21, were inside an apartment building in the 3400 block of Okanagan Avenue when a fire started in the bathroom. Deputy Vernon Fire Chief Jack Blair says they...
Vernon grass fire gets quick response from fire department
VERNON - Emergency crews rushed to the scene of a grass fire burning close to homes in Vernon Friday morning. The fire burned in a field on Melfort Road in Vernon’s BX area, prompting a full response from the BX-Swan Lake Fire Department today, Aug. 14. Local resident Cathy Huber says the fire was burning...
Fire destroys shed, vehicles on Vernon property
VERNON - A pillar of black smoke rising from a Vernon property Sunday afternoon was the work of a vigorous shed fire. The blaze broke out just before 2 p.m., Aug. 9 in the 4200-block of 27 Avenue, and appears to have started in or around a plastic garden shed, deputy Vernon fire chief Jack...
Grass fire burning near Vernon landfill
VERNON - Emergency crews are descending upon a new grass fire in Vernon. The fire was reported just before 5 p.m. today, July 23 on Birnie Road, near the landfill, and is an estimated two hectares in size. The Vernon Fire Department is at the scene and has requested back up from B.C. Wildfire. Fire...
Bolean Lake wildfire near Falkland holding at 348 hectares
FALKLAND - There was no growth in the Bolean Lake wildfire near Falkland overnight, and crews hope to establish some level of containment around the blaze today. Together, the two fires making up the blaze five kilometres northwest of Falkland in the Bolean Lake area remain at an estimated 348 hectares in size as of Thursday, July...
UPDATE: Bolean Lake wildfire near Falkland flares up
FALKLAND - After seeing no growth Tuesday night, the Bolean Lake wildfire near Falkland expanded in size Wednesday. B.C. Wildfire estimates the blaze, located five kilometers northwest of Falkland, is now 348 hectares as of 2:18 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22. The fire was a reported 250 hectares earlier in the day and showing a...
Crews tackling three wildfires of note near Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - Three fires of note in the Kamloops Fire Zone are in various stages following recent suppression activities by fire crews. The Coldstream Creek fire between Ashcroft and Logan Lake is 250 hectares in size. Fire information officer Kelsey Winter says crews managed to block structures threatened by the fire near Highway 97C. The...
UPDATE: Evacuation order issued for aggressive wildfire near Falkland
FALKLAND - An aggressive wildfire in the Bolean Lake area of Falkland has prompted an evacuation order. The blaze, which was reported to B.C. Wildfire about 2 p.m. Monday, July 20, quickly grew to an estimated 300 hectares in size up from four hectares earlier in the day. B.C. Wildfire reported Tuesday morning the blaze...
Coldstream Creek fire near Ashcroft mapped at 250 hectares
ASHCROFT - A lightning-caused wildfire between Ashcroft and Logan Lake has been mapped at 250 hectares while residents at 28 properties nearby are under evacuation alert. Kayla Pepper, a fire information officer with B.C. Wildfire, says the fire west of Coldstream Creek was estimated at 600 ha last night July 20 but once crews mapped the...