(JULIE WHITTET / iNFOnews.ca)
June 07, 2016 - 8:55 AM
KELOWNA - City officials say the fire danger rating for the Kelowna area is now extreme and is forecast to remain so over the next two days.
Residents and visitors should remember open burning and fireworks are not allowed with city boundaries, Kelowna Fire Department fire inspector Rick Euper says in a press release.
Euper also says smoking is banned in all city parks, although the city has not yet closed Knox Mountain Park to vehicle traffic.
An extreme danger rating means forest fuels are very dry, new fires will start easily and spread rapidly and will pose a challenge to firefighters.
In a sign of just how fast local conditions can change, the Kamloops Fire Centre, which covers the Central Okanagan, had a fire danger rating of moderate throughout much of the region as of yesterday at noon.
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