When the B.C. Wildfire Service removed the temporary campfire ban in the Kamloops Fire Centre last week, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) did not follow suit.
The ban remains in effect on lands in the RDOS Fire Protection Areas, which include Anarchist Mountain and Willowbrook fire areas in this area as well as in municipalities, including Osoyoos and Oliver.
The lifting of the ban only applies to lands within the provincial fire jurisdiction, the RDOS said in a news release last week.
Normally the RDOS follows suit when the province imposes or lifts a fire ban, but the decision is made independently.
“The RDOS in conjunction with the municipalities has determined that due to the current weather conditions and the fire risk, the ban should remain in place,” the RDOS said in a Sept. 2 news release.
The ban includes all open fires, including campfires and fires in portable wood burning fireplaces. It does not restrict fires in stoves using gas, propane or briquettes.
Provincial parks and campgrounds are Crown land and fall under the authority of the B.C. Wildfire Services area.
When the province rescinded the ban on Aug. 31, is said the change was in response to recent widespread precipitation, which resulted in a decreased wildfire risk in the region.
At the time, the fire danger rating was “low” to “moderate” in most of the area managed by the Kamloops Fire Centre.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
