Fire
Suspicious fire in West Kelowna
WEST KELOWNA – The RCMP are looking for your help to find a couple of young men after a suspicious fire was set in West Kelowna Wednesday night. Firefighters were called to the front entrance of a property in the 3500 block of Elk Road around 10:30 p.m. and quickly put out the fire. RCMP...
Shingle Creek fire in mop-up phase
PENTICTON - A fire burning 5 kilometres west of Skaha Lake near Shingle Creek is in the mop-up phase. The fire broke out Monday afternoon around 3:30 p.m. and is currently estimated to be 21 hectares in size. There are 20 firefighters on site today and 10 more on the way. Crews are working to...
Vernon officials investigate suspicious backyard grass fire
VERNON - Authorities in Vernon are investigating another suspicious fire, this time in a resident’s backyard. Fire crews were called to the 800 block of Mt. Bulman Place about 2 a.m. Monday to fight a backyard grass fire. Deputy fire chief Jack Blair says the fire was quickly contained and the only damage was to...
Peachland’s Drought Hill fire now 100% contained
PEACHLAND – B.C. Wildfire crews along with the Peachland and West Kelowna fire departments are currently mopping up the scene of the Drought Hill fire, which has already burned for four days but is now 100 per cent contained. “It’s still 40 hectares in size. There will be 50 personnel on site today,” says Kelsey...
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...
Cause of barn blaze remains unknown
VERNON - What caused a Vernon barn to go up in flames remains a mystery. Police and the Vernon Fire Department continue to investigate the cause of last Thursday’s blaze on the outskirts of Vernon at a property in the 1100 block of Pottery Road. Deputy fire chief Jack Blair says investigators have combed through the...
Lightning storm brings out firefighters, photographers
KAMLOOPS - Last night's thunder and lightning storm brought some great photos and kept B.C. Wildfire crews busy and it isn't over yet— more lightning is expected today. While social media brought some of the best pictures, B.C. Wildfire crews were positioned and ready for the storm, which brought 10 spot fires in the area....
Investigators scour aftermath of barn fire
VERNON - Firefighters and police remain at the scene of a large barn fire that broke out early Thursday morning. Neighbours in the 1100 block of Pottery Road alerted authorities to the large fire around 4:30 a.m. Resident Serena Gosselin awoke when she heard yelling out on the street. “We came outside to look, and...
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...
Lake Country firefighters respond to brush fire
LAKE COUNTRY - The Lake Country Fire Department responded to a vehicle fire that turned into a small brush fire Wednesday afternoon. Crews were dispatched just before 3:30 p.m. to the fire, somewhere along Oyama Road. More information will be posted as it becomes available. To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston...
UPDATE: Several agencies respond to bank fire in Cache Creek
CACHE CREEK – The cause of Monday night's fire at the downtown RBC is still unknown, but the bank remains standing this morning. The bank caught fire around 5:30 p.m. A bank employee drove past the building and noticed smoke coming from its back corner. The fire then escalated to the building’s roof, and transformer...
Crews reach 50% containment on Lytton fire
KAMLOOPS - Hydro has been restored, people are allowed to return home and crews are now able to work on hot spots in the interior of the 1,389 hectare Botanie Creek fire, which as of Thursday afternoon sits at 50 per cent contained. “The wet weather is a good thing all around,” Fire Information Officer...
UPDATE: Jura Mountain fire 70 per cent contained
PENTICTON - The wildfire burning near Jura Mountain remains 460 hectares in size and is still 70 per cent contained Sunday. The blaze is burning near five kilometres southeast of Missezula Lake. There are 27 firefighters, 4 helicopters, 9 pieces of heavy equipment with air tankers hitting the fire as needed, according to the B.C....
District to hold public meeting on wildfire for Lytton residents
LYTTON – A public meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday afternoon for Lytton residents to hear more information regarding the Botanie Creek wildfire. Various agencies involved with the wildfire will attend to answer any questions. On Monday afternoon the blaze was mapped at 1,389 hectares. Members from B.C. Wildfire say one home has already been...
Murray Lake evacuation rescinded
KAMLOOPS - An evacuation notice for 35 properties at Murray Lake will be lifted at noon Thursday as the fire risk continues to decrease in the area. The 340 hectare Maka-Murray fire, south of Merritt and west of the Coquihalla Highway, is now 45 per cent contained and some heavy equipment has been pulled from...