KAMLOOPS - UPDATE (8:45 p.m.): BC Wildfire Service says the fire is under control. EARLIER: The BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) is reporting a new start west of Kamloops Wednesday evening (June 4). BCWS says the fire broke out earlier in the day near Tobiano, 800 metres east of Cherry Bluff. The fire is suspected to have be...

KAMLOOPS - (UPDATE 4:00 p.m.): The BC Wildfire Service is once again sending in a crew of firefighters and support staff to battle wildfires burning in other Canadian provinces. Information Officer Sarah Budd told CFJC Today that a 168 personnel boarded a plane at Kamloops Airport Friday (May 30) morning bound for Mani...

KAMLOOPS - The City of Kamloops expects to resume FireSmart assessments once its cleared a backlog of existing requests made following the launch of a new rebate program that had to be paused almost as quickly as it began. There were 200 requests made in a two-and-a-half-day span, according to FireSmart Coordinator Kat...

KAMLOOPS - The Thompson Nicola Regional District (TNRD) says there has been a big uptake in FireSmart assessment requests following the launch of a rebate program earlier this month. According to the TNRD, there have been 137 home assessment requests made so far this year, 91 of which have come since Easter Monday. Sta...

KAMLOOPS - A grassfire that sparked near the Reservoir Trail at Kenna Cartwright Park Saturday (May 24) is currently under control, though it hadn't yet been extinguished as of the most recent update.Kamloops Fire Chief Ken Uzeloc told CFJC Today that while the fire was "well-contained within its perimeter," ...

KAMLOOPS - (UPDATE 6:40 p.m.): A grassfire near the Reservoir Trail at Kenna Cartwright Park is currently being held at 1.1 hectares in size, according to the BC Wildfire Service. That means the fire is not expected to spread beyond its predetermined boundaries under current conditions. Earlier in the day, Kamloops Fir...

Rumours spread like wildfire - and rumours about wildfire are no exception. In Canada's westernmost province, the BC Wildfire Service is taking to its social media channels to tackle misinformation with an unlikely tool: kindness. Take the term "human caused." Wildfire agencies use it to describe all wildfire...

KAMLOOPS - Wet conditions and green hills throughout the Kamloops region aren't expected to last for much longer, with hot, dry summer months approaching. As the risk of wildfire activity increases, the Knutsford Initial Response Team is preparing for its fifth season of organized community fire suppression. James Beth...

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. - Cariboo residents are being informed of a 10-month wildfire risk reduction project about to start near Williams Lake this week. The project is being coordinated by the Cariboo Chilcotin Natural Resource District alongside Alkali Lake Resource Management and will take place more than 26 hectares in...

KAMLOOPS - Nearly 200 wildfires have already been reported across British Columbia since the start of wildfire season on April 1.The Kamloops Fire Centre currently lists two wildfires, both considered under control. The majority of active wildfires are in the northeast portion of the province, but with summer weather a...

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. - The first round of burning prohibitions will be coming to the Cariboo Fire Centre. As of 12:00 p.m. Wednesday (May 7), the BC Wildfire Service says Category 2 and 3 open fires will be prohibited across the entire Cariboo Fire Centre. Last year, Category 2 open fires were given an earlier prohibiti...

BARRIERE, B.C. - The District of Barriere has brought in a ban all fires larger than a campfire as of 12:00 p.m. Saturday (May 3).They say this ban on all Category 2 and Category 3 burns is being implemented because of "high seasonal temperatures, continued drought conditions, and resource limitations."Campfi...

KAMLOOPS - Residents in Thompson Nicola Regional District electoral areas who are taking steps to FireSmart their properties will get some extra incentive from the district. The TNRD has launched a rebate program that will refund 50 per cent of the costs of fire mitigation work within 1.5 metres of homes, capped at $50...

MERRITT - The BC Wildfire Service will be conducting training exercises in the Coutlee Plateau area west of Merritt Saturday (April 26) as part of the annual new recruit boot camp that is underway.It says it will be using small burn piles to simulate wildfire response during this training exercise."These exercises...

CHU CHUA, B.C. - (UPDATE April 26, 7:15 a.m.): A grassfire near Darfield is currently being held after quick work from fire crews Friday (April 25) evening. The fire grew to an estimated 18.2 hectares in size, according to the BC Wildfire Service, which says the blaze is not likely to spread beyond predetermined bounda...

KAMLOOPS - The City of Kamloops is temporarily not taking applications for a new rebate that incentivizes the removal of cedars and junipers because of "an overwhelming response" from residents. FireSmart Coordinator Kathleen Cahoon says there were around 200 requests made for new FireSmart assessments after ...

KAMLOOPS - Ryan Edwards is one of about 260 chosen from a pool of more than 2,000 applicants to take part in BC Wildfire Service new recruit boot camps this spring in Merritt. "Protecting B.C.," Edwards replied when asked why he signed up for the job. "The rehabilitation of B.C., its forestry and making ...

KAMLOOPS - The City of Kamloops is expected to soon announce the launch of a new rebate program to incentivize some fuel mitigation work this year. Kamloops Fire Rescue (KFR) Life Safety Educator Capt. Jeff Pont says the rebate program will mean people are able to get up to 50 per cent of eligible costs covered to a ma...

KAMLOOPS - The Thompson Nicola Regional District (TNRD) says there has been a lot of interest from community groups that are looking for grant funding that will pay for training and personal protective equipment ahead of the summer wildfire season. CAO Scott Hildebrand says there have been 18 applications for the Coope...

CLEARWATER, B.C. - The District of Clearwater is reminding people to be careful after a trio of fires were sparked near the community over the Easter long weekend.In an update Saturday (April 19) night, the District also said that all of the fires are currently under control.The two blazes that sparked Saturday were lo...

CLEARWATER, B.C. - The District of Clearwater says crews from its local fire department and the BC Wildfire Service are responding to a pair of fires burning in close proximity of each other Saturday (April 19) afternoon. It says the two blazes are roughly three kilometres apart and located just off the Road 2 Forest S...

SHUSWAP - The Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) wants to hear from homeowners in Blind Bay and Sorrento who are willing to host a wildfire training exercise on their property next month.The CSRD says firefighters will gather in the two communities on May 10 "for a critical wildfire interface training exerc...

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 - Details are slim, but Kamloops Fire Rescue made quick work of a highly visible grassfire at Strathcona Park, located in the City's West End, Sunday (April 6) afternoon. Kamloops Fire Rescue (KFR) crews responded to the area just after 5:00 p.m., and had the fire under control not long after. At this time how...

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...

KAMLOOPS - Emergency crews appear to have made quick work of a small brush fire along the riverbank on Tranquille Road Saturday (March 22) afternoon, though details remain limited at this time. It appears that the fire behind the former Sandbar Grill was sparked by a cigarette butt, though Kamloops Fire Rescue has not ...

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...

VICTORIA - The BC Government says there has been a record number of applicants who have come forward to join the BC Wildfire Service, which is preparing for the upcoming wildfire season which gets underway on April 1. In a news release Thursday (March 20), the BC Wildfire Service said it received more than 1,700 applic...