Fire Season Heating Up

Despite a wet May, things are heating up in the Penticton fire zone.

Dale Bojahra, Fire Information Officer for the Penticton Area says that it is tough to predict what will happen during the fire season, because the weather is unpredictable.

“Right now we just came out of a period of intermittent showers and rain that lasted a week or so, and that means that right now our zone is at a very low fire hazard. That being said, we do live in the Okanagan and it takes very little time for the forest fuel to dry out,”says Bojahra.

He says the seasonal fire crews are back on and ready to go.

“Every year when they come back we make them go through the fire suppression training again to make sure they are ready for the season,” says Bojahra.

He says the training the crews receive never really stops.

“They get the basic training as rookies, then as they go on, they receive more specialized training in fire suppression,” says Bojahra.

He says the crews are fire ready and have already attended to several fires. Bojahra says it is not unusual for an average fire season to see over 100 fires. The 2005 fire season saw 53 fires in the Penticton zone, which Bojahra considers a slow year. By comparison, there were 135 fires in 2002 and 125 in 2003. 2004 was right in the middle with 75 attended fires. The Penticton fire zone extends from the Kelowna Airport to the border.

He says that it is very important for people to be responsible with their campfires when they are out in the woods, as 43 of last season's fires were human-caused.

“All the human-caused fires we have are preventable, so simple care by folks when they are in the forest can go a long way that means not leaving your campfire unattended and making sure it is completely out when you leave,” says Bojahra.

He says people should add water to their campfires and stir it in to ensure the fire is completely extinguished.