2024 Fire at Cooney Bay (Image Credit: Darryl Frankie Abate)

By Michael Reeve

FIRE SAFETY

Early season fire at Cooney Bay has KFR asking for caution

Feb 24, 2025 | 4:20 PM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops Fire Rescue (KFR) is urging resident to be smart when hanging around Cooney Bay after an early season landscape fire required a firefighter response.

Cooney Bay is no stranger to wildfire activity. Just last summer, a wildfire spread to six hectares before KFR was able to get the upper hand on the blaze.

“It becomes a really big issue,” said KFR Life Safety Educator Cpt. Jeff Pont. “Obviously, if the fire is contained to the driftwood and down on the beach, it’s not as big of a risk. But last year, that fire moved up, we had to close down the train tracks — it turned into a pretty large fire. Now, if that fire turns east toward the city, there is a lot of green spaces, it can move really quickly. That is obviously what we are most worried about”

While KFR attempts to begin with better education before advancing to fines, those starting fires within city limits can be tagged with a $500 fine.

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Pont adds Cooney Bay’s location at the farthest reaches of city limits also poses additional issues for Kamloops Fire Rescue.

“There is a bit of a gap in there where other halls need to make up for the staffing shortage from that committed crew,” Pont said. “That is another thing to think about, is when you’ve had a fire out there and it leads to a larger event, now people in town who need the help quickly might not get it as quickly as possible.”

“That is why we just ask people to not have fires out there.”