(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
August 31, 2015 - 2:04 PM
KAMLOOPS - September long weekend will be the first weekend many campers will be able to sit around an actual wood campfire this summer.
The campfire ban was put in place July 3 and stayed in place during our hot and dry summer.
Cooler temperatures and rain over the weekend greatly reduced the fire danger rating in the Kamloops Fire Centre though and B.C. Wildfire lifted the ban today, Aug. 31, as of noon.
Campfires no larger than half-metre wide by half-metre high and open fires in outdoor stoves are now allowed in the fire centre. People using campfires must have a hand tool or at least eight litres of water on hand to fully extinguish the fire.
The fire danger rating in the fire centre is currently a range of low to high with a couple small pockets of very low or extreme. The majority of the fire centre is at a low or moderate rating.
There is currently about 20 active fire in the Kamloops Fire Centre and one fire of note burning in the southern part of the fire centre. The Testalinden Creek fire is six kilometres west of Oliver and has burned nearly 4,300 hectares. The fire is currently 60 per cent contained and an evacuation order was rescinded for the area Sunday though an alert remains in place.
Campfires bans have been lifted throughout B.C. though some open fire restrictions remain in place.
To report a wildfire, abandoned campfire or open burning violation, call 1-800-663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cellphone.
Fire danger rating as of noon Aug. 31, 2015.
Image Credit: B.C. Wildfire
To contact a reporter for this story, email Jennifer Stahn at jstahn@infonews.ca or call 250-819-3723. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015