Central Okanagan

Property owners in the Central Okanagan hoping to begin burning yard waste next week are out of luck.

Due to the continued dry conditions and high risk of fire, Central Okanagan fire chiefs have decided to delay the start of open burning season by a month.

Normally, open burning is permitted from October 1 to April 30, however, the start date has been pushed back to November 1.

The Central Okanagan has endured one of the hottest and driest Septembers on record.

The average high temperature throughout September has been 24.4 Celsius while just 2.9mm of precipitation has fallen.

In fact, since July 24, only 3.2mm of rain has fallen in the Central Okanagan.

Beginning November 1, people with properties greater than one hectare will be allowed to burn outdoors but only after receiving a permit from their local fire authority and only after calling the Outdoor Burning Hotline to confirm burning is allowed that day.