No news is good news for the Kimberley Cranbrook area as far as the fire situation is concerned.
Carlee Kachman from the Southeast Fire Centre says there are two fires under control in the immediate area, and one has popped up in the Flathead over the weekend.
“That one is a very small one, but there are crews on it,” she said.
All in all it’s been fairly quiet, she says.
“In the Kimberley Cranbrook area, there is a big mix of danger ratings. It’s mostly high, with small pockets of extreme, small pockets of moderate and a few very, very small areas of low, where they received a lot of rain from the recent storms.”
There are a couple of wildfires of note in the East Kootenay.
A little futher north of Radium Hot Springs, the Whitetail Creek fire was at 180 hectares as of Monday morning.
This wildfire is not currently threatening structures or communities; however, Parks Canada has issued an area closure for the area near Luxor Pass trail, West Kootenay trail and Dolly Varden trail as a precaution.
The other fire of note in the East Kootenay is Hobo Creek, 35 kilometres south east of Golden, about 12 kilometres west of Highway 95. This fire is estimated at 90 hectares and is
The fire is 100 per cent machine guarded, meaning heavy equipment was used to create a four to five metre wide section of exposed mineral soil around the perimeter of the fire.
This fire is now being held, which means that sufficient suppression action has been taken and that the fire is not likely to spread beyond existing or predetermined boundaries under the prevailing and forecasted conditions.
However, though it’s been relatively quiet, the entire Southeast is under a campfire ban and will remain so.
“The campfire ban is in effect until the public is notified otherwise,” Kachman said, adding that the decision on campfire bans is made dependent on many factors, weather only being one of them.
Anyone found in contravention of an open burning prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of $10,000 or, if convicted in court, fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to one year in jail. If the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.
There have been 138 fires to date in the Southeast Fire Centre this year.
To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free, or *5555 on a cellphone.
