While the wildfire season here in BC is drawing to a close, don’t be surprised to see smoke filling the sky southwest of Kamloops for the next couple of months.

The BC Wildfire Service is going to be conducting a number of controlled burns of wood and other debris in an effort to try to reduce fire fuels taken out of different parts of the area.

“We’ve got approximately 50 piles that we’ve got crews working on and putting together, making sure they’re safe and appropriate sizes,” said Olive Norris-Lette with the Kamloops Fire Centre.  “There is a chance there could be further piles that are added to that. It just dependent on what needs to be done in that area to reduce that wildfire risk.”

The burns are taking place on Greenstone Mountain, which is around 20 kilometers southwest of Kamloops.

“The city of Kamloops, Tobiano, Cherry Creek or anyone travelling throughout the area could expect to see layers of smoke during the times of burning,” noted Norris-Lette.

She says you can expect to see smoke billowing from the area for the next eight weeks or more.

“Our project is expected to run until the end of November. However, burning will only take place if site conditions are favorable, and if the venting is suitable to hopefully allow for effective smoke dissipation and not have huge impact on those in the area,” said Norris-Lette.

The burns are taking place in the same area where the Ross Moore Lake fire of 2023 burned a wide swath of the region, making within 10 kilometers of Kamloops city limits before crews were able to hold the northern flank.