KAMLOOPS — Nature parks in Kamloops are once again open to the public.
The City of Kamloops began closing the parks on July 8, and by July 10 sixteen parks had been closed due to an extreme fire risk.
“When the fire activity first hit B.C. we had extremely hot temperatures, we were setting record breaking temperatures across the province, and the resources across the province weren’t necessarily where they needed to be to deal with the fire activity that we experienced,” said Dean Olstad, chief fire prevention officer with Kamloops Fire Rescue.
The threat of fires is still very much a concern, however the parks have reopened as of 12 p.m. Tuesday.
“Resources from across Canada, across the province, from around the world are here now to help us out, which is great,” Olstad said. “So the resources are here, the temperatures have come down to a more normal temperature, so with those two factors it’s reasonable now to open the parks.”
Nature lovers can once again enjoy the outdoor recreation Kamloops is known for, but the fire danger rating remains at extreme.
Kamloops Fire Rescue is encouraging people to remain fire smart.
“It’s still hot and dry, and almost any activity could cause a fire,” Olstad said. “Just be extremely aware of what you’re doing, and smokers in particular – no smoking in parks, we really have to be careful with smoking materials.”
Campfires remain prohibited across the province.
