Photo: Brad Brydges

A controlled burn currently visible atop Okanagan Mountain near Kelowna.

A fire currently burning atop Okanagan Mountain is a controlled slash burn, not a forest fire, according to the Kelowna Fire Department.

Castanet News has received a handful of inquiries from readers about a noticeable fire, currently visible from Kelowna and West Kelowna.

In response to emergency calls received on Saturday regarding the visible flame, KFD is advising the public that there is nothing to fret in this case.

"B.C. Forestry and other agencies have many permitted burns occurring on the mountains around the Okanagan Valley. These are controlled burns and they may be very visible from the valley bottoms," platoon captain Dennis Miller said in a news release.

Miller requested that the public not call 9-1-1 if they see a fire that matches the description of a permitted burn.

The B.C. Wildfire Service said slash burns take place each fall across the province, and are conducted by agricultural and forestry operators to burn off wood waste.

The BCWS advised anyone with concerns of visible smoke or fire to first look at the map of registered burn locations on the BCWS website.