Image Credit: CFJC Today / Kent Simmonds

By James Peters

Grass Fire

Grass fire breaks out west of Kamloops despite low danger rating

Jul 14, 2020 | 3:55 PM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops Fire Rescue crews are responding to a grass fire just outside of Kamloops.

The fire was reported up the hill near the Cinnamon Ridge compost facility on Tranquille Road West. Initial reports suggested it came from an electrical transformer exploding.

A plume of smoke is visible from elsewhere in Kamloops.

Image Credit: CFJC Today / Kent Simmonds

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The fire danger remains low in the Kamloops area, but B.C. Wildfire officials say it doesn’t take too many warm, sunny days to dry out the forest fuels.

The wet spring and early summer have kept danger ratings low, and Fire Information Officer Gagan Lidhran says — other than this one — there are no active wildfires in the Kamloops Fire Centre Tuesday (July 14), a rarity for mid-July.

“Currently, throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre we’re seeing a very low to low fire danger rating, so there isn’t much of a risk at this moment,” Lidhran told CFJC Today. “We did see quite a bit of precipitation within June and early July so that has really significantly impacted the effects of the dryness and the temperature on the actual fuels.”

“Even though we are seeing some patches of ‘moderate’ within the fire centre, due to the fact that there was some precipitation throughout the last couple of months, that water is still retained and there is still a lot of [moisture] within those fine fuels so that changes the way that the fuels burn and it is definitely providing us with a slower start to the fire season,” she said.

To date in 2020, there have been 44 wildfires noted in the Kamloops Fire Centre, scorching just 119 hectares. On this date in 2019, there had already been 96 fires that burned nearly 1,000 hectares.

Campfire prohibitions have yet to be contemplated for the region and Lidhran says small yard waste fires are permitted where they comply with local bylaws.

“Please be mindful when you’re burning to always have a fuel break and to always have water on hand,” said Lidhran. “Category 3 burning is still currently not permitted within the fire centre but Category 2 fires are allowed.”