With summer-like temperatures expected in the Kamloops area this weekend, Kamloops Fire and Rescue (KFR) is urging people to be extremely careful.
Fire Chief Steve Robinson says crews have already responded to several interface fires within city limits this year.
“We’ve had many unattended campfires out in the Cooney Bay area that have sparked fires, and that draws significant resources away from the City of Kamloops for us to combat those fires,” he said.
“It costs the City money in our response and delays our responses to other more critical, life-saving emergencies.”
Open fires of any kind are not allowed within Kamloops city limits with fines as high as $500. Robinson also says people could be fined several thousand dollars if a fire they started spreads significantly.
“[Fines are] up to $500 for unattended campfires and if we find somebody that leaves a campfire unattended that spreads to the remaining area that causes us to deploy resources out there, we’ll look at cost recovery,” Robinson said. “And that could be in the thousands of dollars.”
KFR Fire and Life Safety Educator Jamie Chase is reminding people that Cooney Bay and areas in Batchelor Heights are all within Kamloops city limits.
“Outside of the city limits, you know as long as people are responsible and take the proper steps to build a campfire safety that is a reasonable size, and they’ve got the equipment there to put it out and no leave it burning when they leave,” he said, on the NL Noon Report.
“It’s a great thing to be doing right now. I might go and do that myself this weekend, but everyone needs to be aware of the potential for that to turn into a big wildfire right now because things are getting very dry.”
Just before noon today, firefighters were called to a grass fire near the northeast end of Kamloops Lake currently estimated to be about 1.68 hectares. There was another fire in the area just two weeks ago on April 1.
“It’s a little bit frustrating that there are still people out there that seem to think that ‘well, I leave my campfire all the time and I’ve never seen a wildfire start from one’. Well, that’s because they’ve left the scene,” Chase added.
“Smokey the Bear has been telling us this for 100 years that campfires will start wildfires and they really do.”
BC Wildfire Information Officer Kyla Fraser too says wildfire crews have already responded to several suspected human caused fires this season which are entirely preventable.
“Conditions are still hot, so we need to be as cautious now as we are in August,” Fraser said, noting with unseasonably warm and dry weather conditions for April, grass and other fuels could spark easily.
Just two days ago, the BC Wildfire Service said areas in the Kamloops, Coastal, Cariboo, and Prince George Fire Centres were experiencing a drying trend and increasing temperatures.
As of this moment, there are no open burning prohibitions across B.C., so people are being told ensure that all burning is done safely and in accordance with regulations. Last year, open burning restrictions were brought in across B.C. on April 16 in an effort to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fire Information Officer, Gagan Lidhran, previously told NL News the BC Wildfire Service is preparing for whatever fire season lies ahead as we head closer to summer.
— Kamloops Fire Rescue (@KamFire) April 16, 2021
Scenes from the fire line. pic.twitter.com/ODtGwJLU0Z
— Kamloops Fire Rescue (@KamFire) April 16, 2021
