16 parks closed due to fire risk

Sixteen parks in the Central Okanagan were closed simultaneously Tuesday because of the extreme fire risk.

It’s the first time parks in different municipalities have been closed under a new policy adopted by Kelowna, West Kelowna, Lake Country, Peachland and the regional district.

“The different fire chiefs and other officials got together and decided on a common set of criteria to follow for when parks should be closed,” said regional district spokesman Bruce Smith.

Those considerations include at least three days of extreme fire hazard, park access limitations that mean users could be trapped in the event of a fire, and a history of previous fires, transient camping and bush parties.

The regional district parks ordered closed Tuesday were the Trepanier Creek Greenway and Coldham, both in Peachland, Glen Canyon, Kalamoir, Rose Valley (all in West Kelowna), and Stephens Coyote, Scenic Canyon and Mission Creek Greenway east of Hollywood Road (all in Kelowna).

For its part, the City of West Kelowna closed a further eight parks due to the fire risk. Those parks are Mount Boucherie Trails, Eain Lamont, Rose Valley trail access, Casa Palmero park and walkway, Davidson Creek, Shannon Way, Rock Ridge and Wild Horse.

People found inside the now-closed parks could be fined $500.

The closure will be enforced by bylaw officers, Smith said. But he added there hadn’t been many fines issued in past years because most people recognized why access to the parks had been restricted.