Fire and wind in the city

A fire broke out in the Esplanade Trails on Sunday night.

Deputy fire chief Dave Spalding said firefighters were on call to downed power lines, but at 10:41 p.m. they were diverted to a fire in the trails, sometimes referred to as Hobo Trails due to homeless camps in the area.

He said it looked as though a small campfire may have been caught up by the wind, which was whipping through the Okanagan Sunday night, and caught nearby bushes.

He said there were no power lines or other flammables near the area.

He estimated the fire to be no more than a couple of acres, and due to fire crews' presence nearby, they were able to keep it under control fairly quickly.

He said the fire kept firefighters busy until about 4 a.m., but the trails are once again open to the public.

The fire was one of a few on Sunday, which also saw a large blaze near the Bear Creek Campgrounds by West Kelowna, which continues to burn, as well as a fire on the hill west of Okanagan Falls.

Fire crews in Penticton responded to several other wind-related incidents in the city, including downed power lines and tree branches.

They responded to a call to an apparent car in the lake, which turned out to be a sign that had blown into the water.

The wind had also kicked up some dust up on the west bench, which had also been reported to the department as a fire.

Photo: Dustin Godfrey

Trees blown down by Sunday night's wind near Penticton's courthouse.