Kenna Cartwright Park... without the wildfire smoke.

Image Credit: FILE PHOTO

KAMLOOPS - The city's fire chief has ordered several parks in Kamloops to be closed due to the extreme fire danger in the area.

In a news release, Kamloops Fire Rescue says the following parks will be closed as of 1 p.m. today, Aug. 4.

• Batchelor Nature Park
• Campbell Creek Nature Park
• Capilano Park
• Closed Right of Way (runs between Barnhartvale through Juniper to Peterson Creek)
• Dallas-Barnhartvale Nature Park
• Gleneagles Park
• High Canada Place Park
• Highland Park
• Kamloops Bike Ranch
• Kenna Cartwright Nature Park
• Peterson Creek Nature Park
• Pineview Valley Park
• Rose Hill Park
• Sahali Terrace Nature Park
• Sifton Loop Trail
• Skyline Park
• Valleyview Nature Park

The city's closed parks can be found on a map here.

The provincial government has also announced a partial closure of Wells Gray Provincial Park. Effective tomorrow morning, Aug. 5, the public will still have access to most of the major day-use sites in the highway corridor through the park along with campgrounds and marine campsites. All other areas and adjacent recreation sites and trails that provide backcountry entry points will be closed to public access.

For more information on the partial closure, go here.

City parks are closed to bike, pedestrian and vehicular tracffic. Park crews are currently installing closure signs and will continue to do so this weekend. Crews will be making the rounds to ensure residents and visitors are abiding by closures. Bylaw officers will be issuing fines for violations.

Smoking is always prohibited in all city parks and walking trails. Given the dry conditions, residents are urged to be extremely cautious with cigarettes in all areas of the city and to only use designated containers to dispose of cigarettes.

"Kamloops Fire Rescue asks residents to consider the consequences of their actions," the news release says. "The public can play an important role in fire prevention by staying aware, reporting fires immediately, and keeping all vehicles and bikes away from dry areas."

The City has also closed the Barnartvale Landfill and Yard Waste Depot effective tomorrow, Aug. 5. and will remain closed until further notice.

Other facilities can be found here.

To report people using closed parks, call bylaw at 250-828-3409. The public is asked to call 911 immediately if a fire is suspected.

– This story was updated at 5:15 p.m., Friday, Aug. 4, 2017, to include the partial closure of Wells Gray Provincial Park.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Ashley Legassic or call 250-319-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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News from © iNFOnews, 2017