Smoke from controlled burns may cloud the air
The unusual sight of smoke in mid-December will be visible over the South Okanagan mountains for the next few months.
Residents of Penticton, Summerland, and Peachland may notice smoke coming from a controlled burn of 60 large piles of woody debris.
The ignition will take place on Crown land near Garnet Lake, between Summerland and Peachland.
Pile-burnings will start now and continue through March, the Ministry of Forests says.
“BC Wildfire personnel will carefully prepare, control, and monitor these fires at all times,” the ministry announced Thursday.
Controlled burns in winter help reduce wildfire hazards in the spring and summer by reducing the amount of dead wood and brush on the landscape. Ignition of the woody piles will only occur on days when conditions are suitable and there’s enough of a breeze to allow the smoke to dissipate, the ministry says.
The Garnet Valley area was the scene of a major forest fire in 2018.