West Kelowna fire crews battle, extinguish 2 grass fires at opposite ends of city

Fire crews in West Kelowna had a busy Saturday afternoon, extinguishing two grass fires at the same time.

The first grass fire happened around 12:30 p.m., on the bluffs northwest of the W.R. Bennett Bridge.

The grassfire was initially reported as a rank-one fire, but quickly grew to rank two as it spread into heavier and denser brush, growing to about 150 metres by 75 metres in size.

West Kelowna Fire Rescue (WKFR) said its crews laid down hose lines and were able to quickly extinguish it prior to constructing a handguard around the fire’s perimeter.

While crews were battling that fire, a second fire was reported across town in the Glenrosa area.

Crews rushed to the Glen Canyon area and found an abandoned campfire and a nearby pile of burning debris, both of which were quickly extinguished.

“Both fires were human-caused, and serve as a reminder that grass fire season is now upon us,” WKFR said in a press release.

The fire department noted that all of its resources were needed, including off-duty members to help maintain staffing levels.

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