Good afternoon everyone,
We’ve got quite a bit of information for you… so here it goes:
We’ve got quite a bit of information for you… so here it goes:
As you’ve likely been hearing in
the news, there has been increased fire activity over the past couple of days
in areas to the west of us, including two wildfires of note fires in the South
Okanagan, the largest is near Rock Creek and there’s one east of Osoyoos.
The SE Fire Service is also keeping a close eye on a few backcountry
fires to our west. Smoke from these fires has been moving into our area
and smoky conditions are expected to continue.
The weather forecast is calling
for dry thunder storms with gusty winds this afternoon and then thunder showers
and localized heavy rain later tonight. Although it is already raining in
areas, some places could remain dry so depending how much rain comes with this
system, it could indicate an increased risk of lightning caused fires.
Let’s do what we can to limit person-caused fires so Forest Service
Resources don’t have to be spent unnecessarily. Person-caused fires are
preventable!
Currently, the SE Fire Centre
website shows that there are no wildfires of note in our Regional
District. With the weekend coming and, although there is precipitation in
the forecast, current conditions are very dry. The wildfire hazard rating
for most of our region ranges from high to extreme and the campfire ban
remains in place. Please be extra cautious if you’re heading out this
weekend. Here’s a link to the BC Wildfire Branch’s website: http://engage.gov.bc.ca/bcwildfire/ which has helpful information about current fire bans
and what a campfire ban means. If you still have questions about the ban
or the use of camp stoves, please contact the South East Fire Centre office at:
1-250-365-4040.
If you plan to travel this
weekend, please remember that Highway 3 and Highway 33 both remain closed in
the Osoyoos and Rock Creek areas north to Beaverdell and all secondary roads in
this area are either closed or controlled for local traffic only. You can
get information on the road closures at the DriveBC website: http://www.drivebc.ca/
To report a wildfire or open
burning violation on Crown or private land, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or
*5555 on a cell phone. Within a municipality, please contact the
municipality directly for information on fire bans and/or reporting.
Tracy Van de Wiel
Information Officer
250-489-9677
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