The Oliver Fire Department had an early morning wake-up call to deal with a grass fire Tuesday (March 16) morning.
Firefighters responded to Sen Pok Chin Boulevard and McKinney Road shortly after 5:30 a.m. to put out the grassfire.
The fire had been caused by an unattended campfire that had spread to the surrounding brush, covering an area of 50 feet by 100 feet, according to Oliver fire chief Bob Graham.
“We don’t like to see people leave their campfire going. They may have thought they’d put it out,” said Graham.
While grassfires like this aren’t entirely out of the ordinary, the timing was more unusual.
“It’s a little early this year,” said Graham.
READ MORE: Unattended campfires in Kelowna, West Kelowna cause two grass fires in 24 hours
The Oliver fire is the latest in the Okanagan to have been started by a person.
On March 13, at 1 a.m., crews in West Kelowna responded to a grass fire near the Barona Beach Resort, caused by an unattended campfire.
The day before, Kelowna had an unattended campfire start a grassfire off Highway 97.
READ MORE: Wildfire west of Penticton now ‘under control’
The first wildfire in the area tracked on the BC Wildfire Dashboard was reported on March 13, west of Penticton on Farleigh Lake Road East, was listed with the human cause being suspected.
The Okanagan has seen little precipitation, leaving the ground quite dry.
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