No action taken on fire burning across the lake from Peachland
A highly-visible forest fire across from Peachland is being left to burn itself out, a decision some townsfolk find peculiar.
No ground or air action has been taken against the fire in Okanagan Mountain provincial park, even though it grew from one hectare to six hectares between Monday and Tuesday.
The BC Wildfire Service says suppression efforts aren’t necessary because the fire is of low-intensity, slow-moving, and doesn’t threaten any structures. And, in the long run they say, it will be beneficial for the park as fire is a natural part of the ecosystem
“The fire is continuing to act as we expected it to,” fire information officer Justine Hunse said Tuesday. “The incident commander is keeping a close eye on the fire. We expect it will grow somewhat in size.”
Still, some Peachland residents say they’re surprised nothing is being done to put out the fire.
“They’re the experts, I guess, but it’s still kind of frustrating given what the community has gone through this year with fire,” said Jane Tench, a Beach Avenue resident, who was among the first to report the fire at 4:30 a.m., on Monday.
“It was quite a spectacular sight last night, to see so much of the mountain glowing orange and red,” Tench said.
The fire started about 200 metres from shore, approximately two kilometres north of Rattlesnake Island. The cause is unknown, but there was no lightning Sunday night and there are several rustic campsites popular with boaters along the lakeshore.
Hunse acknowledged the public is used to seeing a rapid response by air tankers, helicopters, and ground crews to any fire in the Okanagan during the summer months.
But such action isn’t warranted in this case, she said, and officials are in part regarding the fire as way to “educate” people about the best forest management practices.
The fire is classed as Rank 1, the least serious, typically characterized by a smouldering ground fire, with no open flame, white smoke, and a slow rate of spread.
It’s within the area that was heavily burned by the 2003 Okanagan Mountain firestorm, which eventually destroyed more than 200 Kelowna homes.