Local residents helped the Lumby Fire Department snuff out a brush fire Friday, Sept. 30.
Fire Chief Tony Clayton said the fire grew to 20 metres by 20 metres along a BC Hydro right of way near the community, threatening nearby hydro poles.
Clayton said the fire is likely human caused due to a lack of lightning in the area of late, but it’s not currently considered suspicious.
He said some area residents helped tackle the blaze with rakes and shovels, holding it at bay until the fire department arrived with a truck and quickly extinguished the flames.
“It was in a relatively inaccessible area,” Clayton said, adding the nearest structure was about a quarter of a kilometre away from the blaze, “so relatively close but not real close.”
The fire chief said that while it’s now October, conditions in the area are still ripe for fires.
“It’s dry, we’re outside working right now and we’re sweating,” Clayton said, adding that dryness is setting in by mid-morning.
Clayton said while the campfire ban has been lifted, there is still a ban on open burning of any kind.
“There’s only campfires allowed right now, not yard waste or any other burning,” he said.
READ MORE: Woman dies in motorcycle crash in the North Okanagan
READ MORE: Police search for missing teen last seen in Vernon