Illegal fire proves costly to province, Osoyoos area man | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Penticton News

Illegal fire proves costly to province, Osoyoos area man

A wildfire an Osoyoos area man caused can be seen in this photo contributed by the B.C. Conservation Service. The man is on the hook for $5,750 in fines after a fire set to burn cardboard turned into a wildfire that threatened a rural subdivision near Osoyoos in August, 2013.
Image Credit: Contributed

PENTICTON - A fire set to burn cardboard has proved costly for a South Okanagan resident.

An Osoyoos area man was fined $5,000 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge fee of $750 after pleading guilty to a section of the wildfire act in Penticton Provincial court, Nov. 9.

The man was accused of burning cardboard on his property on August 13, 2013 during an open fire ban.

The buring cardboard sparked a fast growing wildfire that resulted in neighbouring property owners having to temporarily evacuate their homes northwest of Osoyoos near Spotted Lake.

B.C. Wildfire Management utilized 35 firefighters, two helicopters and five air tankers along with support from the Osoyoos Fire Department to control the blaze, at a cost of $133,000.

Wildfire Management involved the Conservation Officer Service Major Investigation Unit during the investigation, which ultimatley became a coordinated effort between the Conservation office, the RCMP, and the Ministry of Forests.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

News from © iNFOnews, 2015
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