A North Okanagan wildfire that reached 100 hectares in size this week before being contained is a stark reminder that fire season is here.
According to data from the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS), the fire started small on April 1 before quickly growing in size. Currently, it is listed as being held, with the fire’s cause listed as unknown.
The fire, which burned scrubland near Okanagan Lake, fell under the jurisdiction of the Okanagan Indian Band, with crews from B.C. Wildfire acting in a support role.
Meet Ember the FireSmart Fox, her job is to help keep people’s homes safe from the threat of wildfire by teaching them about #FireSmart activities. Check out this video to learn more about Ember & how she helped the residents of Maple Grove!
Learn More: https://t.co/DStB7FeX2b pic.twitter.com/mGfkS80A6x
— FireSmart BC (@BCFireSmart) March 31, 2021
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Grazing cattle to be used to mitigate wildfire fuels in the Okanagan
In B.C., fire season runs from April 1 to October 1. The BCWS says over the past 10 years, the yearly average is 1,356 wildfires burning 347,000 hectares.
Though the 2021 wildfire season is only three days old, BCWS data shows that 10 fires have already been reported this year.
“We’re in the spring-shoulder season,” said B.C. Wildfire spokesperson Nicole Bonnett. “From the wildfire side of things, we’re working with our partners, doing some prescribed burning, and there are property owners doing spring yard cleanup.
“So the little fire activity we’ve seen so far, I would say isn’t out of the norm. It’s just that you have all those (fire) fuels on the surface – like dead grasses that died over the winter – that are on the drier side.
“If somebody’s not careful with their fire use, then when the wind comes along, things can get out of hand.”
The #BCWildfire Service will be supporting the Kanaka Bar Indian Band in the implementation of a prescribed burn this afternoon on Kanaka Bar Reserve 1A. pic.twitter.com/9Hw4KsXb02
— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) March 31, 2021
For 2020, the numbers were low, with 637 wildfires burning 15,000 hectares of land. BCWS attributed the decline to an unseasonably cool and wet June and July, before fire activity picked up in August.
For the Kamloops Fire Centre, the stats for 2020 saw 182 wildfires burning 2,521 hectares.
Bonnett said BCWS “is trying to remind everybody that when you’re doing your backyard cleanup, or any yard work at home or out enjoying the outdoors and have a campfire, be mindful of all the open-burning regulations.”
