The heat of wildfire season has Vernon crews on high alert.
The local fire department has crews ready in the event a wildfire or other blaze is sparked locally.
“The team is strong,” fire chief David Lind said. “We have increased staffing so we have additional crews on during these extreme conditions.”
Following the Highway 97 blaze and Becker Lake fire July 9 and 10, the crew has also responded to several fires in town.
“There have been a number of suspicious fires that are under investigation,” Lind said.
READ MORE: RCMP probe series of downtown Vernon fires
Vernon City Coun. Scott Anderson applauds community members for keeping an eye out for “fire bugs.”
“I’d like to thank the citizens of Vernon for watching out for fires,” Anderson said at the July 19 council meeting.
Coun. Kelly Fehr also applauded the firefighting crews.
“It’s a very stressful environment to be under.”
Following these incidents, Lind reminds residents to be FireSmart and protect their properties.
Moving stockpiles of firewood away from walls, keeping gutters cleaned and rethinking where to plant trees and keeping them maintained are a few of his suggestions.
“Those great big cedar trees that grow under our eaves, under our roofs, they have been a conduit for fires,” Lind said.
For more FireSmart tips visit firesmartbc.ca.
READ MORE: Four new wildfires spotted in North Okanagan
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