By Chad Klassen

Barnhartvale wildfire a wake-up call for residents as temperatures heat up

May 15, 2018 | 8:46 AM

KAMLOOPS — A wildfire that sparked on Monday afternoon in Barnhartvale is serving as a wake-up call for residents who say the hot weather in the forecast has worked to dry things up. 

Barnhartvale resident Shawn Reed was shocked to come home to flames that reached as high as 20 feet. 

“Fire in the trees, fire on the ground. It was pretty exciting for a moment or two. Lots of my neighbours were here helping out and running hoses before forestry got here,” says Reed. “The neighbour was here with his small machine trying to make sure it didn’t get too close to the house. The fire was running up the hill pretty hard.”

WATCH: Fire ignites in Barnhartvale

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While the investigation is still ongoing, initial reports indicate the fire started from a burning pile. The B.C. Wildfire Service got the call to Campbell Creek Road at 3:30 on Monday afternoon, sending out a unit crew of 20 firefighters and six more personnel to help contain the fire to just over a hectare. 

“We saw rank 2-3 fire behaviour, some isolated candling and it was a moderate amount of grey smoke that was coming up,” says initial attack crew leader with the B.C. Wildfire Service David Voth. 

While it was contained Monday evening, with firefighters staying until midnight to monitor the area, the concern now from neighbours is flare-ups with temperatures reaching into the 30s again on Tuesday. 

“I think my concern is some of the big stumps that are up in that hillside, there being hotspots flaring up again,” notes Reed. 

The 2017 wildfire season was a wake-up call for Reed and others. The B.C. Wildfire Service says with the hot weather in the forecast, it’s critical to be diligent in the backcountry. 

“It looks like we’re getting into a hot, dry holding pattern right now over British Columbia, so the province is starting to dry out,” says Voth. “It’s hard to predict what’s going to happen in June and later in the fire season, but I would just say the take-home message would be just to air caution if you’re going to be burning or if you’re going to go out camping.”