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MERRITT HERALD FREE
TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2012 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS
Fire Season The Nicola Valley heats up as blazes already burn 100 hectares above average in Kamloops zone
A fire burns about two kilometres south of Merritt in the Coldwater Valley on Thursday as fire crews extinguish flames and douse the hot ground. Firefighters suppressed the fire before it spread widely. Jade Swartzberg/Herald
Dry weather, wind spread flames through valley By Phillip Woolgar THE HERALD
reporter@merrittherald.com
At least sixteen wildfires have been set by people in the Nicola Valley since April 1, the Kamloops Fire Centre announced Friday as they rolled out an open-fire ban. Merritt is at a Moderate Fire Danger rating, with warm and dry weather expected to continue and temperatures reaching the 30-C mark. “We are concerned and want people to be extra careful,” Fire Information Officer Kayla Pepper said,
noting 131 hectares have burned near Merritt since April 1. “Conditions are dry right now and if you get a strong wind going, it can spread quite fast.” A fire broke out about two kilometres south of Merritt near Iron Mountain, close to the Coldwater Valley on Thursday. Crews were eventually able to extiguish the flames that same day, supressing the fire before it was able to spread widely. The Merritt Fire Rescue Department was called to the blaze
M E R R I T T
‘Conditions are dry right now and if you get a strong wind going, it can spread quite fast.’ —KAMLOOPS FIRE CENTRE FIRE INFORMATION OFFICER KAYLA PEPPER
around 2 p.m. “We sent out 10 firefighters and two fire engines,” said local Fire Cheif Dave Tomkinson. The crew attacked the flames and soaked the ground for approximately four hours before it had a chance to spread more. The Merritt Fire Zone crew was called out shortly after the local crew.
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Those who ignore the ban are subject to a $345 ticket. If convicted, the person could be fined up to $100,000 and sentenced to a one-year jail term. The prohibition is expected to be in effect until Oct. 15. Clearwater and Salmon Arm are exempt from the ban, but are earmarked for a June 15 addition to the prohibition. The ban doesn’t apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes. The fire zone extends from the northern border of
Wells Gray Park near Blue River to the U.S. border to the south, and then from Bridge River Glacier west of Gold Bridge to the Monashee Mountains east of Lumby. Specific activities prohibited: • Burning waste, slash and other piled or unpiled materials larger than 0.5 metres by 0.5 metres. • Burning more than two open fires at a time. • Setting stubble or grass fires. • Using fireworks or burning barrels.
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The fire consumed trees, grass and brush. Effective noon today (Tuesday) open fires in the Nicola Valley are restricted to 0.5 metres high and 0.5 metres wide, which bans mass burning but still allows campfires. The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations intends to prevent human-caused wildfires.
The Kamloops Fire Centre has responded to approximately 300 hectares of wildfires, representing 38 blazes, since April 1. The 10-year average is 48 fires by this time each season, burning around 200 hectares each time. “We are seeing fewer fires but more hectares burned,” Pepper said. “Luckily, none of them has gotten too big and our crews were able to respond quickly.” The ministry attributes the blazes to “poorly planned open burning.”
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