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THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2012
Proudly serving Williams Lake and the Cariboo-Chilcotin since 1930
Dog Creek fire 11.5 ha
VOL. 82. No. 53
$1.34 inc. HST
Splash away the heat
Monica Lamb-Yorski Tribune Staff Writer Forty firefighters from the Cariboo Fire Centre were on scene at a remote lightning strike fire in the Gustafsen/ Dog Creek area yesterday. Fire information officer Jenny Fremlin says the fire was first discovered in the afternoon on July 9. It is estimated to be 11.5 hectares in size. Yesterday there were two water trucks and one piece of heavy equipment on-site as crews continued fire suppression efforts. “The fire is 100 per cent machine guarded, and is in the mop-up stage,” Fremlin says. Lightning is suspected to have caused the fire. “This is the time of year in which the region starts to see more lightning-caused fires, making it a good time to remind people to be vigilant with fire use,” Fremlin adds. Anyone who sees smoke or flames is asked to call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on a cellphone.
Inside the Tribune
Ted Hlokoff photo
Angelo Blackwell of Nimpo Lake has a blast and stays cool while tubing at Nimpo Lake recently. Sunny weather is forecasted for the rest of the week and through to at least Sunday.
NEWS A2 Secwepemc chief feels “insulted.” SPORTS BC Games inspiring. COMMUNITY Faye Moore turns 102.
A9 A14
Weather outlook: Sunny today, high of 29 C. Sunny Friday, high of 32 C.
Red-flagging Anahim Lake unfair: assoc. Monica Lamb-Yorski Tribune Staff Writer An article in the July 5 Tribune — where Williams Lake veterinarian Dr. Doug Magnowki warned of swamp fever in horses in the Anahim Lake area in anticipation of the Anahim Lake Stampede last weekend — has sparked a response from the Anahim Lake Community Association. On July 6, the association forwarded a letter to the Tribune it received from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency regarding the swamp fever concerns. In the letter, acting CFIA veterinarian Gary DeBruin told the association he felt the Anahim Lake Stampede should proceed, and that the Equine Infectious Anemia (swamp fever) horses had contracted the virus in the sum-
mer of 2011 or earlier. “Therefore this is not an outbreak or epidemic of the disease this year, but rather a smoldering problem that has recently been uncovered. The known positive horses are quarantined away from the rodeo grounds and will be dealt with as soon as possible,” DeBruin noted. He also advised organizers to keep feral horses away from the rodeo grounds during the rodeo, and that liberal doses of insect repellent and horse blankets were recommended. One of the rodeo planners, Dale Tuck, told the Tribune Tuesday the rodeo went as planned and attendance numbers weren’t down that much from previous years, although there were quite a few turnouts among competitors. Tuck said swamp fever exists
in the region, and the association didn’t feel it was fair of Magnowski to single out Anahim Lake. When asked about the fact the BC Rodeo Association website had also posted a swamp fever advisory for the rodeo, Tuck said the advisory didn’t “red flag” Anahim Lake, like Magnowski had. Magnowski, however, maintains he had a duty to warn the public. He had been waiting for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to test more than the seven horses it tested, of which five were positive, because one of the horses that tested positive had contracted the disease in the summer of 2011 or earlier. “Are all the horses that were exposed last year negative? We don’t know because the federal government has not tested them,”
Magnowski said, adding no one wants to admit there’s an issue with swamp fever out west. “I’m going to use DeBruin’s letter to point out that they need to be testing more horses. He says it’s not an epidemic or an outbreak, but rather a smoldering problem that’s recently been uncovered. EIA is federally mandated. If this is the case then those horses need to be tested because the horses that were in contact with these horses in the summer of 2011 need to be dealt with.” Speaking from Burnaby CFIA veterinary specialist Dr. Bob Cooper confirmed EIA continues to be found in low levels in western Canada, particularly in Saskatchewan, northern Alberta, B.C. and the Yukon. See SWAMP Page A2