Wednesday May 13, 2015 www.saobserver.net $1.25 GST Included
Wildfire risk climbs rapidly Hazard: Open burning ban set for May 15, a month earlier than usual. By Barb Brouwer OBSeRVeR STAFF
dry conditions, high temperatures, low humidity and the possibility of dry lightning – extreme fire conditions and a recipe for wildfire starts. While the danger rating in most of the Salmon Arm Fire Zone is high, Sunnybrae was reported to be in extreme danger Monday. And an upper low-pressure area from Oregon was expected to meet an upper high from the northeastern part of the province, with the possibility of dry lightning and thunderstorms through Thursday. In response to the forecast and drier than normal conditions, the Kamloops Fire centre is putting a lid on open burning at noon Friday, May 15, a month earlier than usual. As always, Salmon Arm Fire chief Brad Shirley says the city of Salmon Arm will follow suit, prohibiting all but small campfires.
The ban will be in place until Oct. 15, or until further notice. under this prohibition, members of the public will not be allowed to: burn waste, slash or other material; burn stubble or grass or use fireworks or burning barrels. “We had three wildfires in the Kamloops Fire centre over the weekend, all less than three hectares in size but all human caused,” says fire information officer Kelsey Winter. The total number of wildfires since April 1, the official start of this year’s fire season, is 25. All were personcaused, including two in the Salmon Arm Zone. Salmon Arm zone fire information officer larry Osachoff says on April 16, firefighters were quick to extinguish a spot-sized fire in a notch Hill logging block slash pile that somebody lit at night. See Small campfires on page A2
Hydro malfunction causes blackout By Barb Brouwer OBSeRVeR STAFF
laCHlan laBere/OBSeRVeR
Sparkle-filled sky
A crowd gathers in the school field for fireworks at the conclusion of the Hillcrest Elementary School Carnival, which is hosted by the Hillcrest Elementary Parent Advisory Council to raise funds for school initiatives.
This week A new book, Everything Shuswap, will be a springboard for student learning. See A16. Just for Kicks dance students wrap up their season with panache. See images on A21.
A loud boom was followed by an extensive blackout affecting 12,000 Bc Hydro customers just before 9 p.m. Monday. darkness blanketed all of Salmon Arm, stretching out to canoe, Tappen and Sunnybrae, as well as an area west of Old Sicamous Road near Grindrod. Bc Hydro rep Jen Walker-larsen says the outage was caused by the malfunctioning of a circuit breaker in the sub-station located at the cor-
ner of 30th Street and 10th Avenue Se. “everyone was back on at 9:03,” she said, noting the blackout was not related to the utility’s upcoming planned outages. “The planned work at the Salmon Arm substation originally scheduled for May/June was routine work to replace some outdated equipment. Bc Hydro’s priority now is to replace the circuit breaker so the planned work will be re-scheduled.” See Cause on page A2
Index Opinion ....................... A6 View Point .................. A7 Life & Times ............... A8 Sports................A17-A19 Arts & Events ... A21-A24 Time Out................... A29 Vol. 108, No. 19, 48 pages