(file photo)

By Dylana Kneeshaw

ELEPHANT HILL WILDFIRE

Elephant Hill wildfire determined to be caused by smoking materials

May 4, 2020 | 8:47 AM

ASHCROFT — The BC Wildfire Service has now determined the cause of the Elephant Hill wildfire in 2017.

Investigators and cause specialists have determined that the most likely cause of the fire was smoking, or smoking materials.

In a release, the service states that smoking materials are classified as matches, cigars, pipe tobacco, cigarettes, and/or cannabis.

The wildfire began on July 6, 2017, about 2.5 km southeast of Ashcroft. The fire eventually burned 191,895 hectares, and had spread into parts of the Kamloops Fire Centre, and Cariboo Fire Centre.

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Other potential causes that were eliminated include:

• lightning
• escaped campfire
• Category 2 or Category 3, or Resource Management Open Fire activity
• arson/suspicious, juvenile fire setter/fire use, equipment use
• railroads
• vehicles
• electrical transmission / utility line / pole

According to the BC Wildfire Service, the origin and cause report was completed in fall of 2017, and submitted as part of a larger RCMP investigation into the Elephant Hill wildfire.

Police recently wrapped up their investigation, so the service was now able to share the information it had gathered about the cause of the wildfire.

RCMP, and BC Wildfire Service investigations did not find sufficient evidence to identify the person whose actions started the Elephant Hill wildfire. Given this, it wasn’t possible to lay charges, or pursue cost recovery for the damage caused by this fire.

The service goes on to say that the investigation is now complete, and further action will not be taken at this time.