(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
October 30, 2014 - 11:53 AM
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Cooler temperatures and lighter winds mean conditions are safe for open burning in most areas, and that means we can expect to start seeing more smoke in the air.
B.C. Wildfire officials sayprivate landowners, Wildfire Management Branch personnel and industry partners are burning piles of wood debris to reduce wildfire risks. The provincial office will be working on public and private land clearing debris and burning slash piles, in addition to performing prescribed burns around the region. Crews completed several large controlled burns in the spring as well.
The Kamloops Fire Centre has issued a number of burn registrations over the past few weeks and these projects are allowed to proceed until fire restrictions are again put in place next spring, as long as the venting index allows for good ventilation.
Category three open fires such as piles larger than two metres high by three metres wide, more than 0.2 hectares of stubble or grass burning, more than two piles of any size and one or more windrows, need to be registered beforehand.
Within city or municipal boundaries local governments bylaws can vary and are serviced by the local fire department. In Kamloops, open burning is allowed, with a permit, on properties larger than one acre, while Vernon usually requires the property to be at least five acres in size. Penticton and Kelowna require properties to be at least one hectare in order to issue a permit.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Jennifer Stahn at jstahn@infonews.ca or call 250-819-3723. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014