Fire scorches band land
For the third time is an as many months, the Penticton Indian Reserve and adjacent West Bench neighbourhood have dodged a fiery bullet. The latest blaze lit up mid-afternoon Friday in a field near the Penticton Indian Band office on Westhill Road.
It moved northeast towards the Westhills Aggregate gravel pit, but was corralled before damaging any structures thanks to a quick, co-ordinated response from multiple agencies.
“It was really dicey there,” said Penticton city manager Peter Weeber, who was at the scene and is a former Terrace fire chief.
“Just when they got it out, the wind came up.”
BC Wildfire Service spokeswoman Justine Hinse estimated the burned area at half a hectare in size.
She said the provincial agency deployed a helicopter and eight personnel, who worked alongside members of the Penticton Indian Band Fire Department, plus neighbouring services from Penticton, Naramata and Kaleden.
Hinse said the cause of the fire hadn’t yet been determined.
The BC Wildfire Service was also called out to the area Aug. 3, when a quarter-hectare blaze scorched a steep hillside off Sunglo Drive and came within about 200 metres of homes.
Two weeks before that, 40 homes were evacuated on Westwood Drive due to a fire in a natural area there. It grew to one hectare in size and damaged two houses before it was snuffed out.
The fire danger rating is currently set at extreme throughout most of the Okanagan, with hot, dry weather forecast for at least the next week.
It was really dicey there. Just when they got it out, the wind came up. Penticton city manager Peter Weeber