File photo. (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Victor Kaisar

Prescribed Burn

Peterson Creek Park prescribed burn project expected to begin in March

Feb 24, 2026 | 10:13 AM

KAMLOOPS — The first portion of a long-awaited prescribed burn at Peterson Creek Park is expected to get underway as early as next week, depending on site and weather conditions.

The City of Kamloops says it will carry out a prescribed burn as early as March 2, with the support from the BC Wildfire Service and Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc. The city says goals for the prescribed burn include removing buildup of grassland fuels, invasive species and overgrown sagebrush in the area, along with helping restore forest health.

While the overall project area is an estimated 17 hectares in size, only six hectares will be addressed this spring.

Area in red – located south of the Trans-Canada Highway and east of Summit Drive – to be address during a prescribed burn in 2026. (Image Credit: City of Kamloops)

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In a statement, the city says smoke may be visible from Kamloops and the surrounding area, as well as along Highways 1, 5 and 5A once the burn gets underway.

The 17-hectare prescribed burn project at Peterson Creek Park was initially set to begin in spring 2025. However, the city postponed the burn until the winter due to unfavourable weather. It was then delayed further following consultation with Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc.

“It was important for us to complete a culturally modified tree assessment within the burn area,” Kathleen Cahoon, the city’s FireSmart Liaison said in December. “The archeological team from Tkemlúps did identify a few areas of interest within the burn area, so we are working with them to mitigate those before we actually put fire on the landscape.”

A 10-hectare burn in Batchelor Heights that was also scheduled for last year was also postponed due to unfavourable weather in the spring and grazing schedules in the fall. It is also expected to be done this spring, but a date had not yet been released.

An eight-hectare burn at Rose Hill Park was completed in March last year, while Cahoon noted plans are in the works for another 43.6 hectare prescribed burn within the Lac du Bois Grasslands.

“The project is currently in the early planning stages, with further updates and maps to be provided as it progresses,” Cahoon said, noting the city is working with BC Parks, the BC Wildfire Service, and Tkemlúps te Secwépemc.

“This burn will not be conducted in 2026. This is more of a couple years out kind of plan.”

For more information on wildfire protection in Kamloops, go here.

– With files from Aaron Schulze/CFJC Today