The major fires that broke out in the Okanagan last week are slowly being brought under control, but that doesn’t mean we are out of the woods — so to speak — not by a long shot.
The fire danger remains high through most of the Okanagan, with more hot and dry weather on the way. Not that there is ever a time to be careless, but this is a time to exercise extreme caution when close to anything that could catch fire… pretty much wherever you go.
It doesn’t compare to last year’s devastating fire season — and let’s hope it never does — but there have already been 796 fires started this year, accounting for 55,631 hectares burned.
Whether you are in an area that has an open fire ban or not, think twice before lighting one. It would be nice if we could at least avoid adding any more human-caused fires to that total.
For 64 years (44 in Canada), Smokey Bear has been trying to convince us that preventing forest fires is our responsibility. Apparently, it takes a long time to get the message across.
He’s right, though, when he says “only you can prevent wildfires.” We may not be able to prevent lightning from starting fires, but everything else — well, it really doesn’t take much to be careful, does it?
We’ve already seen some stupid moves, like a roadside fire started earlier this month, possibly caused by someone flicking a cigarette butt out the window.
A new South Okanagan fire, started last night near Shingle Creek Road, is believed to be human-caused, showing that some people still haven’t got the message.
Of the six new fires BC Wildfire reported on July 22, half were caused by humans.
Smokey would be very disappointed.
