Significant progress has been made on a wildland fuel management project in the Foothills area of Vernon.
Yesterday, a qualified private contractor started conducting low risk, category 2 small pile burning on a 10-hectare parcel of City-owned land. The work is part of a larger fuel mitigation project that began in 2019, to reduce the risk of serious wildfire and return the area to a more natural state.
“Originally, we anticipated up to five days of burn activity would be needed to take care of the debris and tree trimmings that had been prepared for this portion of the project,” said Fire Chief David Lind. “However, the contractor and his team managed to complete the work in just two days, thanks in part to excellent weather conditions and venting. We’re pleased to say the piles burned down quickly and there was minimal smoke impact to the neighbourhood.”
Recent hot, dry weather has led the BC Wildfire Service to increase the wildfire danger rating in Vernon to moderate-to-high, which means the quick completion of this work was important for everyone’s safety.
“Controlled burning takes a lot of coordination and is entirely weather dependent,” said Chief Lind. “We knew we were going to have a small window of opportunity to deal with this material, so we are very happy with the results and are grateful for the quick and concise job that was done to help protect our community.”
All of the piles will be extinguished before the contractor leaves the site today. Crew members will return to the area on Friday and Saturday to do spot checks and confirm nothing has been reignited.
A full prescribed burn is still anticipated to take place on the 10-hectare parcel of land when conditions are appropriate and provincial regulations permit. Vernon Fire Rescue Services will continue to monitor conditions and keep residents updated on the fuel management project.
Note: This media release was changed on November 4, 2020, to correct the size of land from 10-acres to 10-hectares.
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