KAMLOOPS - Wildfire season unofficially kicked off this weekend after a grass fire was put out in Strathcona Park Sunday (April 6). While there is no official word on what caused the grass fire, Kamloops Fire Rescue (KFR) officials believe this is the beginning of the dreaded wildfire season."There's no definitive...

KAMLOOPS - Thompson Rivers University (TRU) received nearly $1.7 million in federal funding to train up to 260 wildland firefighters over a three-year period. Along with the individual training, TRU says the funding from Natural Resources Canada will support the training of up to 18 local response agencies, such as rur...

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. - Smoke may be visible in Williams Lake over the next two weeks. The BC Wildfire Service says it's supporting the City of Williams Lake and Williams Lake First Nation with carrying out a 20-hectare prescribed burn northeast of the Westridge Subdivision, between Country Club Boulevard and Westridge S...

LYTTON, B.C. - A pair of prescribed burns near the Village of Lytton are expected to take place next week. The BC Wildfire Service says it's supporting Lytton First Nation in carrying out the two prescribed burns. In a news release issued Tuesday (March 4), the wildfire service says the 47 Field burn will be nearly 43....

KAMLOOPS - Details of a Wildfire Studies Diploma program at Thompson Rivers University have been unveiled. Following a 30-day public feedback process, TRU says the university's Senate and Board of Governors approved five certificates and one diploma program at the Centre for Wildfire Research, Education, Training and I...

KAMLOOPS -- B.C. Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar said the province is providing help to the state of California and the hundreds of thousands impacted by wildfires raging in the Los Angeles County area. "During our most difficult times in British Columbia, when we needed help, California Wildfire was there for us ...

MERRITT, B.C. - The BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) says it will resume a fuel management project near Merritt this week.In November, BCWS said it was planning to burn about 50 piles of debris along Lindley Creek Road, about 3.5 kilometres west of Merritt.According to a news release issued Wednesday (Jan. 8), that number is...

KAMLOOPS - The BC Wildfire Service is looking back on the fourth-worst fire season on record that saw 1,688 wildfires burn a little over a million hectares of land across the province since April 1.It says there were 394 fires across the Kamloops Fire Centre this summer, where 52,785 hectares of land was burned. Most o...

SCOTCH CREEK, B.C. - The Scotch Creek-Lee Creek fire hall has taken another step toward rising from the ashes.The fire hall, located at 3852 Squilax-Anglemont Road, was destroyed in the Bush Creek East wildfire that swept through the North Shuswap in August, 2023.In a news release issued Tuesday (Nov. 26), the Columbia...

KAMLOOPS - The B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) says it is set to complete some prescribed burns in a popular Shuswap Park.The operation is slated to begin Wednesday (Nov. 6) in Tsútswecw Provincial Park, formerly known as Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park.In a news release, BCWS says the fuels management project ...

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. - A pair of prescribed burns will make smoke visible near the City of Williams Lake and along Highway 5 from Merritt to Hope. The BC Wildfire Service says it will carry out a 23-hectare pile burning on Fox Mountain east of Williams Lake in order to reduce the wildfire hazard and restore local Dougla...

MERRITT AND WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. - The B.C. Wildfire Service is notifying residents of Merritt and Williams Lake that it will carry out fuel burning near those cities starting Friday (Nov. 1).The project in the Nicola Valley will take place along Lindley Creek Road, 3.5 kilometres west of Merritt.Crews will begin burnin...

KAMLOOPS - Residents impacted by the Shetland Creek wildfire will soon learn of post-fire hazards in the area. The Thompson Nicola Regional District (TNRD) and Cook's Ferry Indian Band (CFIB) will host a pair of public meetings with B.C.'s Ministry of Forests on Wednesday, Oct. 30. An online session will take place fro...

KAMLOOPS - Residents in Salmon Arm may notice smoke throughout the rest of October. The BC Wildfire Service says crews will burn nearly 10 piles at the Rappel Base within the City of Salmon Arm this month. In a news release issued Tuesday (Oct. 15), the service says it's meant to reduce wildfire hazards by removing acc...

KAMLOOPS - Thompson Nicola Regional District communications manager Colton Davies spoke to CFJC Today on Tuesday (Oct. 8) to recap the 2024 wildfire season.The TNRD Emergency Operations Centre was active at full capacity for 50 days, from July 1 to Aug. 20.The Shetland Creek blaze grew to more than 28,000 hectares and ...

CLINTON, B.C. - Residents in Clinton and area, along with drivers travelling along Highway 97 south, may notice some smoke over the next month. The BC Wildfire Service says crews will carry out a prescribed burn on 344 hectares of open range near Wildhorse Creek. The burn is located nearly 60 kilometres west of Highway...

LYTTON, B.C. - More than three years after the village was destroyed by wildfire, B.C. RCMP have concluded their investigation without finding a cause.Fire ripped through the village on June 30, 2021 - one day after Lytton set a Canada-wide record for heat. Two people died in the blaze.Several authorities have conducte...

The BC Wildfire Service posted on Twitter on Saturday (Sept. 7) to note increased fire behaviour in the North Blaise Creek fire burning about 28 kilometres northeast of Seymour Arm. A reconnaissance flight on Saturday morning revealed minimal growth upslope to the east and Rank 2 fire behaviour, meaning low-vigour surf...

KAMLOOPS - With the B.C. Interior flirting with record temperatures to end the week, the B.C. Wildfire Service is warning residents that the fire danger rating is on its way up again."Our fire danger rating (in the Kamloops Fire Centre) is currently moderate with some pockets of high," Fire Information Office...

VENABLES VALLEY B.C. - In late July, the Shetland Creek wildfire forced the evacuation of the Venables Valley between Ashcroft and Spences Bridge as the blaze grew to more than 27,000 hectares. Six homes and multiple out-buildings were lost in the off-grid community, with residents returning recently to begin surveying...

SPENCES BRIDGE, B.C. - The Thompson-Nicola Regional District's (TNRD) final evacuation order related to the Shetland Creek wildfire near Spences Bridge has been lifted. As of 12:00 p.m. Wednesday (Aug. 28), the TNRD says nearly 12 properties within the community of Venables Valley have been given an all clear status. I...

KAMLOOPS- This past weekend's rain and cooler temperatures were a welcome sight for the Kamloops region, but the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) says the season is far from over. The 2023 wildfire season was infamously destructive.At this time last year, BCWS reported more than 183,000 hectares burned."Right now, we'...

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. - Residents in the Cariboo Fire Centre will be able to roast marshmallows and smoke weenies over a campfire before summer ends. Effective 12:00 p.m. noon Friday (Aug. 23), the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) says the Category 1 campfire prohibition will be rescinded throughout the Cariboo Fire Centre, ex...

The evacuation alert issued on July 25 for Tatelkuz Lake Area 2 was lifted on Wednesday (Aug. 21) afternoon, according to a Cariboo Regional District press release. Residents must be prepared if the area receives a future evacuation order or alert on short notice and are asked to stay out of fire-affected areas.

KAMLOOPS - With the downgrading of the Shetland Creek wildfire to 'being held,' and evacuation alerts lifted, the situation has calmed inside the Thompson Nicola Regional District's (TNRD) Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in Kamloops.While the summer has been quieter than years past, the regional district was still re...

SKWLAX - Sunday was an emotional day for the Skwlāx First Nation as it marked one year since the Bush Creek East wildfire ripped through the land. Over the weekend, the community came together to commemorate the one-year anniversary."Well, I'm so proud of them. The resiliency of my band members that they're able...

The Shetland Creek wildfire is classified as being held as of Sunday (Aug. 18) afternoon.One of four wildfires of note in B.C., the blaze is listed at 27,956 hectares on the BC Wildfire Service website, but it is not likely to spread further under forecast conditions. The wildfire service posted on twitter on Sunday to...

SPENCES BRIDGE, B.C. - The Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) downgraded its final evacuation alert related to the Shetland Creek wildfire. In a news release issued Thursday (Aug. 15) morning, the TNRD says 80 properties in Electoral Area "I" (Blue Sky Country) have been given an all clear status. The f...