Citing favourable conditions, the City of Kamloops will be reopening all nature parks and nature trails at 4 p.m. this evening, August 24.
The Kamloops Bike Ranch will also reopen at that time, while the Barnhartvale Landfill and Yard Waste Depot will reopen at 8:30 a.m. Friday morning, Aug. 25.
“Based on forecasted temperatures and recent precipitation leading to a reduction to the fire danger rating in our area, we are comfortable making the decision to reopen nature parks and trails this afternoon,” Kamloops Fire Deputy Chief, Ryan Cail, said, in a statement.
The closure – which applied to all of the trails that connect Barnhartvale to Peterson Creek through Juniper Ridge, as well as the Dallas-Barnhartvale Nature Park, Kenna Cartwright Park, Peterson Creek Nature Park, Rose Hill Park, Skyline Park, and Valleyview Nature Park – came into effect last Friday, Aug. 18.
“We’re not there to try and stop people from enjoying the back country,” Cail said, at the time.
“Our primary goal is to keep people and property safe, and of course, try and limit any kind of secondary ignition or any other ignitions at this time to keep our resources available for the next emergency.”
Nature parks and trails in Kamloops were also closed between Aug. 4 and Aug. 11 because of fire and drought conditions in the area.
City staff are asking all residents and visitors to stay vigilant if they’re using nature parks and trails and to report all fires immediately.
“Smoking is always prohibited in all City parks and walking trails,” the City statement added.
“Kamloops Fire Rescue reminds residents to use extreme caution with smoking materials in all areas of the city and to only use designated containers to dispose of cigarettes, matches, and other smoking-related materials.”
You can find more information on fire prevention here.