Heat, wind gusts complicate wildfire battle in the Interior

KAMLOOPS (NEWS 1130) – As temperatures continue to soar throughout the province firefighters in the Interior say raising the fire risk is jumping, and people need to be on alert if they’re lighting up any campfires.

“Across the province, the [weather] really is elevating the fire danger rating in many areas,” says Fire Information Officer Clair Allen.

“It doesn’t look like a whole lot of reprieve is coming our way in terms of cooler temperatures or precipitation for at least the next week and quite possibly beyond that as well.”

She says 11 fires started yesterday, one of which grew into a “larger incident”.

“The most noteworthy fire we’ve had over the last few days is the fire on the East Shuswap road in the Kamloops area. That’s really indicative of the fine fuels such as grass, sage brush, and shrubs that are drying out quite quickly as that fire grew to approximately 500 hectares in the first day. It demonstrates how fast things can dry out despite the precipitation we did have over the last few weeks in June.”

Allen is urging campers heading out to enjoy the hot weather to act responsibly.

“We know folks want to go out and enjoy the warm weather but with that comes responsibility to take care of the natural environment around us. If individuals are having any open burning they need to make sure it’s within the regulations that are in place in their jurisdiction, that they have ample tools, water, and personnel on hand in order to contain that fire [should it get out of control].”

She says if you spot a fire you can report it at *5555, or toll free at 1-800-663-5555.

With the heat expected to last a number of days, crews are going to be more aggressive when responding to fires.

-With files from Taran Parmar

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