Another reminder from Kamloops Fire and Rescue that bonfires and campfires are not allowed within city limits.
Firefighters had to put out three such fires this past Saturday – one in Mission Flats, one in Valleyview, and one on a beach across from the old residential school building.
KFR Fire and Life Safety Educator Jamie Chase is urging people to be careful.
“We haven’t had much precipitation. Its been pretty much straight dry weather. That’s not to say that’s necessarily going to be the rest of the fire season. We may get a cool, wet spring ahead yet, but at this point, right now, things are extremely dry,” he said, on the NL Noon Report.
Chase says if you want to have a fire within Kamloops city limits it has to be in a propane fire pit.
“Those are absolutely fine. People still need to follow all of the safety guidelines and the manuals from those things and be aware that it is fire and it can set nearby things on fire if you’re not using it properly,” he added.
“But yeah, those are completely legal and great things for people to have.”
Chase says he knows people want to get outside and take advantage of the warmer weather but he notes they need to be aware of the restrictions. There are no fires allowed at Cooney Bay and at areas in Batchelor Heights, which are both within the city of Kamloops.
“Outside of the city limits, you know as long as people are responsible and take the proper steps to build a campfire safety that is a reasonable size, and they’ve got the equipment there to put it out and no leave it burning when they leave,” Chase said.
“Its a great thing to be doing right now, but everyone needs to be aware of the potential for that to turn into a big wildfire right now because things are getting very dry.”
People could be fined as much as $500 if they’re found starting a campfire within city limits. They could also be fined several thousand dollars if a fire spreads significantly.
“It’s a little bit frustrating that there are still people out there that seem to think that ‘well, I leave my campfire all the time and I’ve never seen a wildfire start from one’. Well, that’s because they’ve left the scene,” Chase added.
“Smokey the Bear has been telling us this for 100 years that campfires will start wildfires and they really do.”
As of this moment, there are no open burning prohibitions across B.C., and so people are being told ensure that all burning is done safely and in accordance with regulations. Last year, open burning restrictions were brought in across B.C. on April 16 to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fire Information Officer, Gagan Lidhran, previously told NL News the BC Wildfire Service is preparing for whatever fire season lies ahead as we head closer to summer.