Wildfire
VIDEO: Smith Creek fire from above and by the numbers
KELOWNA - Take a guess: How much water have fire crews dropped on the Smith Creek fire over the past week and a half? Would you believe more than 1.2 million litres? As of Monday morning helicopters had flown more than 100 hours, skimmers had dropped more than 300 loads of water and foam and...
Intense storm dropped record rain at rapid rate
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Several rainfall records were broken Wednesday but a local meteorologist says it is the rate of the rainfall that is the big story. “A record rain doesn’t really tell the story, the real story is the speed which it came out of the clouds,” Doug Lundquist of Environment Canada says. “You can have...
Open burn ban to be fully lifted
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The Kamloops Fire Centre received calls of open burns in areas still under prohibition this long weekend, but staff are happy none led to wildfires. Fire Information Officer Kayla Pepper says a 13.7 hectare fire just north of Lytton this weekend is believed to be human-caused, but not a result of open burning....
UPDATE: Joe Rich forest fire contained
KELOWNA – Fire crews have a handle on the forest fire burning in Joe Rich since Sunday afternoon. The fire, in the 8000-block of Sun Valley Road off Highway 33 east, is 100 per cent surrounded by a hose lay, according to B.C. Wildfire Management’s Kelsey Winter. “The fire is 6.2 hectare in size… there...
Air tankers hitting wildfire in Joe Rich
KELOWNA – Fire crews are hitting a wildfire in the Joe Rich area of Kelowna hard Sunday afternoon. A report of smoke in the trees sent a Kelowna and Joe Rich fire crews to the 8000-block of Sun Valley Road off Highway 33 east. B.C. Wildfire Management fire information officer Kelsey Winter says doesn’t know...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Washington wildfire smoke spreads north
SOUTH OKANAGAN - Smoke caused by Washington wildfires has been steadily creeping up the South Okanagan valley since Monday afternoon. There has been little smoke around the Penticton area from the Apex and Jura Mountain fires that have been burning for more than a week, so just how big are these fires in Washington that...
Botanie Creek wildfire evacuation alerts dropped
KAMLOOPS – The people living near the Botanie Creek wildfire north of Lytton are no longer under an evacuation alert. The Thompson-Nicola Regional District has rescinded the alert for the 120 people who were evacuated because of the blaze and allowed to return home just last week. It has also been dropped for those properties...
Premier calls for fire safety as weather heats up wildfire risk
KELOWNA – It’s not just firefighters across the province worried about the latest heat wave creating the perfect conditions for more wildfires. Premier Christy Clark is asking every British Columbian to make a personal commitment to do everything they can to protect the forests and the province’s natural beauty. Temperatures have soared back into the...
STAHN: The view from up here
You may think I’m wrong to admit this, but I am actually really excited about this fire season. I have been since murmurs of another active season began. The opportunity to see our guys and gals in action, putting themselves in harms way to save our homes, the air tankers and helicopters constantly buzzing above:...