Kamloops firefighters say they made quick work of a grassfire overnight near the Mission Flats area.

“The call came in late in the evening about the grassfire above Mission Flats Road,” KFR Life Safety Educator, Jeff Pont, said. “Originally, crews had a little difficult accessing it due to the steep terrain but they were able to run a hose line off the hairpin on the Summit Connector.”

“After it was out, it was determined that there was a homeless camp nearby and the fire’s likely cause was a campfire or sorts.”

A fire in a gully near Thompson Rivers University on April 16 was also traced back to a homeless encampment, making this the second one this month.

Pont says KFR will continue to try and reach out and educate people who are homeless about the dangers of starting fires, noting he hopes that people will learn from their mistakes. He says many of these people are just trying to keep warm.

“Often the camps are vacant by the time we are dealing with the fire so there is actually nobody to reach out to, but you know, the more that we can get our voice in the community to explain how dangerous it can be to have campfires in our semi-desert area, the better off we’ll be,” Pont added.