Kamloops Fire and Rescue has determined that a grass fire near Padova City last week was human caused.

The fire grew to just under two hectares in size, and chief fire prevention officer Dean Olstad says more specific details on the fire’s origin are unclear.

“We’re not exactly sure at this time the particular details of how it absolutely got started. But there’s a public message in that, is that we do have human activity in the grasslands area, and a fire was started because of the activity,” Olstad says.

The grassfire on March 18 needed 12 firefighters from the local department and 10 from the BC Wildfire Service to put out.

Olstad says the public should be aware that the fire risk right now is more prevalent on the north side of the river, where the sun hits more and the snow has melted.

“There area definitely areas in our community that are going to be drier, so we just want people to be aware that from this time on and forward through the whole summer season and into the fall, it will just continue to get drier and warmer, and that increases the chances of a wildfire.”

He says people should be mindful of activities that can cause fires, such as smoking, working with materials that can cause sparks or riding recreational vehicles.

(Photo: Laurie Rodgers)