(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
August 21, 2015 - 7:00 PM
VERNON - Vernon firefighters are reminding the public there is still a fire ban, something a local man apparently didn’t know.
About 10 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 20, the Vernon Fire Department was called out to the 7300-block of Old Stamp Mill Road for a burning complaint.
“It was a homeowner there claiming he didn’t know there was a burning ban on and decided to light up some grass and debris in his yard,” deputy Vernon fire chief Jack Blair says. “Fortunately, the neighbours were on it pretty quick and notified ourselves and bylaw of what he was doing.”
Firefighters helped the man extinguish the fire and water down any potential hotspots.
“It’s pretty much been illegal for the past 6 to 8 weeks, sometimes you just shake your head,” Blair says.
Bylaw ticketed the man somewhere between $150 to $350, Blair says, adding the fine could be more if the B.C. Wildfire Management Branch gets involved.
The fire department dealt with a number of campfire ban infractions earlier in the summer, but this is the first complaint in a while, Blair says.
“People have been great and really diligent,” Blair says. “And they’ve been making sure they’re reporting.”
The fire ban remains in effect until further notice.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015