NEAR KELOWNA – The disaster in our neighbouring province and the unseasonably hot, dry spring is adding anxiety about the potential of a severe fire season in the Okanagan.
That’s why one Kelowna resident was so alarmed after finding large piles of wood dumped in the bush near Kelowna.
“Seeing this pile, I don’t know if it makes me angry or it makes me sad but the possibility of what could happen, it scares me,” says Kelowna resident, Doug, who didn’t want to disclose his last name.
He discovered a pile of pallets in a clearing about five kilometres up Gillard Forest Service Road, not far from the Kettle Valley neighbourhood in Kelowna.
He believes the unwanted pallets from area businesses having been gathered, hauled up into the back country and dumped throughout the forested area, all with the plan of setting them on fire.
“The drier it gets, the scarier it gets,” says Doug.
It sounds like a recipe for disaster, but is it legal? There isn’t a campfire ban in place; those usually kick into effect in July. An open burning prohibition won’t be in place until May 15, which means as long as a fire is kept to half a metre by half a metre, it’s legal.
The Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO) says it’s considering this a case of illegal dumping and plans to have someone come by this weekend to clean the site up.
While it’s out of the Kelowna Fire Department’s jurisdiction, it says it’s used to getting calls about backcountry parties this time of year.
“It’s grad season and it’s always a concern to us in the backcountry or higher elevations,” says Deputy Fire Chief Lou Wilde.
Once an open burning ban does go into place, authorities say they plan on cracking down on bon fires at bush parties.
Click here for details on how to report illegal dumping to the RDCO and click here for details on how to report illegal burning to the B.C. Wildfire Service.
Comments