Vernon Matters file photo

By Liam Verster

Five Grass Fires in March

Dry conditions increase risk of grass fires: Vernon fire chief

Mar 26, 2023 | 6:30 AM

The City of Vernon and surrounding area are at risk of grass fires catching and spreading.

Though the weather has still been fairly cool, Vernon Fire Rescue Services has responded to several grass and brush fires over the past month.

“The last I heard is we’re sitting around 65 per cent of our normal precipitation for our region at this time of year,” Vernon Fire Chief David Lind told Vernon Matters.

“So we’re definitely dry in the valley bottom. We’ve got some fine, flashy fuels from last year, the grasses and some of the shrubs and those kinds of things, that are pretty dry.”

Lind stated they have responded to five “significant” grass fires in March as of Friday the 24th, but noted they were not as hard to handle as a fire during peak hot weather conditions.

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Open burning for land clearing and agricultural purposes is allowed in Vernon, though a permit is required for those activities.

“We [allow] that between November 1st and March 31st. Generally we consider that to be a period of lower risk in the valley. It doesn’t mean there is no risk, it’s just a lower risk,” Lind explained.

“The focus of those very specific applications is to reduce fuel loads for the remainder of the high risk part of the year.”

There have been air quality advisories in place for Vernon recently due to road traction materials dispersing particulate matter into the air. Lind said if the air quality dips below air quality and ventilation index thresholds set by the province, those activities would not be permitted.

“Those types of regulations seek to find a balance between allowing fire on the landscape, which is a really important aspect of things from a risk mitigation point of view,” Lind told Vernon Matters.

“It’s trying to balance that out: the difference between allowing fire on the landscape for risk reduction when it’s safer to do that type of work, but also controlling smoke release so that you’re not affecting people’s health.”

The fire chief reminds people with any open flames, whether it be a burn pile or a campfire, to have water on hand, to not leave the fire unattended, and to ensure it is fully extinguished before leaving. More details on fire safety can be found at the City of Vernon’s website.

Looking ahead, Lind is hopeful the fire risk will decline in the near future.

“I’m certainly not an expert or a weather forecaster, but from my understanding of the situation with where we’re at today, we’ve had less precipitation but we’re expecting some cooler temperatures through the thawing season which can be a really good thing because the runoff, the water coming off the mountains, comes off more slowly and allows time for absorption and we don’t get those peak flows happening so suddenly,” Lind said.

The veteran fire official added he hopes to see some more precipitation over the spring, but could not predict what the rest of the year will have in store for fire risks.

Lind added B.C. Wildfire Crews will be conducting fuel management in the area over the spring, including collecting and burning existing fuels, and advises the public not to be alarmed by the smoke plumes those create.