Skip to content

Fire danger remains high

Despite a dump of the wet stuff in the last few days the open campfire ban is still in place for the Kootenay region around Rossland.
76077trailw-brushfire

Despite a dump of the wet stuff in the last few days the open campfire ban is still in place for the Kootenay region around Rossland.

"At this point there are no restrictions on campfires but we're maintaining the open fire ban for the region," said Jordan Turner, fire information office for the Southeast Fire Centre stationed near Castlegar.

A lightning storm Thursday caused nine new wildfires in the region, all of them small in nature and well away from Rossland.

In the Slocan Valley, the Perry Ridge fire is 64.5 hectares in size and is considered 20 per cent contained. Nine millimetres of rain fell near the fire on Thursday night and Friday morning, helping the 79 fire fighters on site along with 30 support staff and three helicopters.

Campfires have to be kept to a half metre by half metre and campers are required to either have a shovel on hand or eight litres of water to put the fire out. They are also required to maintain a fire break at least one metre around the fire and are never leave a fire unattended.

"The fire danger rating for our region is mainly high, with a few pockets of extreme danger around Grand Forks and Nelson," said Turner.

Although the unsettled weather is expected to continue for the next few days an outright campfire ban might be on the way.