It hasn’t even been in place for a week and the city of Vernon has already issued a fine for ignoring the city’s fire ban. At approximately 10:20 p.m. Wednesday, firefighters were dispatched to a report of a fire at a property in the 6200 block of Okanagan Landing Road. A tenant on the property had a large fire in a half-barrel of oil, located near combustible materials and trees, and was burning treated wood and other prohibited materials, the city says. The city implemented the burn ban on July 29 as the fire danger level in the area reached extreme values. A fire ban is also in effect in the Kamloops Fire Center area, which includes the Okanagan. Firefighters quickly and safely extinguished the fire using the department’s wildland truck and fines were issued after an investigation. “The fire was first discovered by one of our bylaw compliance officers,” said Darren Lees, the city’s director of conservation services. “We are thankful that no injuries were reported in the incident, but the situation could have become much more serious very quickly if the fire had ignited any of the nearby materials.” “The fire danger rating in Vernon is listed as extreme right now, which means we all need to take extra precautions to prevent fires in our community,” says Fire Chief David Lind. “This is to keep residents, visitors, emergency responders and property safe. There is no excuse for not following fire ban rules. If someone has a fire in violation of the ban, they will be fined. This is a serious matter security”. The ban applies to campfires, dumping combustible substances near combustible materials, open burning, fireworks, sky lanterns, tiki torches and similar types of torches, burn barrels or burn cages and chimineas. Failure to comply with the City of Vernon’s fire ban can result in fines of up to $1,000. If the violation causes or contributes to a fire, the responsible person may be required to pay all firefighting costs and related expenses. CSA or ULC rated cooktops that use gas, propane, or briquettes and propane are still OK as long as the flame height is less than 6 inches.
