The Adventure Bay fire lit up the night sky Saturday, July 30, 2016.
Image Credit: Jacob Thiessen
August 03, 2016 - 11:55 AM
VERNON - Investigators have concluded a wildfire that forced some 60 residents from their homes over the weekend in Vernon was not caused by people.
The roughly one acre fire just east of the Adventure Bay residential community started around 9 p.m. Saturday and prompted a large-scale emergency response from the Vernon Fire Department and B.C. Wildfire crews.
While originally suspected to have been human-caused, the B.C. Wildfire Service has now concluded the fire was sparked by lightning.
“There was lightning passing through the area around that time, although not that particular night,” fire information officer Max Birkner says.
He says it’s possible the blaze was caused by a holdover fire, where lightning gets into the ground and can smoulder away for a while before taking off.
Meanwhile, the cause of a wildfire that raised alarm in Enderby last week remains under investigation.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston or call 250-309-5230 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.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2016