‘They’re getting closer’: Two human-caused fires in Kamloops raise business concerns as conditions dry out

“It’s certainly frustrating because it keeps happening,” Smoliak said.

Kamloops Fire Rescue says the West Victoria Street blaze stretched roughly 60-by-100 feet along a steep hillside near Strathcona Terrace. Crews were able to quickly contain the fire before it spread further uphill toward nearby properties near Strathcona Terrace.

Flames of a grassfire near Strathcona Terrace, only feet behind Boomers Auto Centre Monday evening, just off West Victoria St. (Image Credit: Facebook / @WHEN BAD / GOOD THINGS HAPPEN IN KAMLOOPS)

Captain Will Harlock of the Kamloops Fire Rescue (KFR) said the cooler evening conditions and recent precipitation helped assist firefighters gain control of the blaze.

“That did help a little bit. If we hadn’t had that and the time of day was a little different, it could have been very difficult for our crews on scene to take care of,” Harlock said.

Fire response crews are seen responding to a grass fire behind Boomers Auto on West Victoria St. (Image Credit: Facebook / @WHEN BAD / GOOD THINGS HAPPEN IN KAMLOOPS)

Smoliak says he first learned about the fire through a text message before rushing to his business while firefighters were still extinguishing hotspots near the building.

According to Smoliak, fires behind the property have become increasingly common.

“I think it’s the fifth one in two years, and they’re getting closer and closer to the building,” he said. “The city keeps saying they’re going to do something about them getting back there, but so far nothing’s happened.”

Just later in the evening, crews responded to another fire in the Batch Hills area near the Pipeline Road party pits.

Firefighters located multiple abandoned campfires and evidence of burning residue in dry brush conditions – including another fire roughly a kilometre-and-a-half deeper into the hillside.

“There was an abandoned fire there. It was quite small but crews did find another one about a kilometre-and-a-half beyond the fence, and they had it knocked down very quickly,” Harlock said.

Kamloops Fire Rescue says both incidents are believed to be human caused.

As warmer weather and dry vegetation continue to increase fire danger across the region, officials are urging residents to remain vigilant, especially in steep terrain where fires can spread rapidly.

“When it’s windy, when it’s really hot, you have to be super vigilant because it can get away on you so quickly,” Harlock said.

For Smoliak, concerns now extend beyond his own property.

“We have to get these people into a facility where they can be helped, because you or I are not going back there and lighting a fire. That’s all there is to it,” he said.

Kamloops Fire Rescue says open fires remain prohibited within Kamloops city limits as wildfire season continues.

The incidents remain under investigation alongside RCMP and fire prevention officials.

by Jeremy Russo

‘They’re getting closer’: Two human-caused fires in Kamloops raise business concerns as conditions dry out

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