Public needs to be cautious: small wildfire sparked in the Okanagan

May 2, 2025 | 11:25 AM

The Okanagan’s first wildfire of 2025 burned a small area of land Thursday, serving as a reminder to be cautious with open flames.

The B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) reported a wildfire at Bertram Creek near the community of Braeloch, south of Kelowna on the east side of Okanagan Lake, which burned approximately 90 square metres of terrain on the morning of May 1.

The BCWS said it dispatched a crew to the scene, but the Kelowna Fire Department had already contained the fire and had it listed as under control by 11:38 a.m. Thursday.

Speaking with Vernon Matters, Dennis Craig, Assistant Chief of Mitigation and Prevention with the Kelowna Fire Department, said the fire was located on a rural property and was slow moving and mostly smouldering, with no large flames.

The flames were extinguished swiftly but crews remained on the scene for the majority of the afternoon to take care of hot spots and make sure it was fully out.

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The fire was investigated and determined to be human caused, though exactly how it sparked was not known. The fire was also not considered suspicious.

The provincial firefighting agency said the fire was human caused, but did not provide any specific details.

A fire information officer with BCWS said there were no open burning restrictions in the area as of Friday, but did note the Okanagan was expected to see hot, dry weather with strong winds over the weekend, and advised people be careful with open flames and when recreating outdoors.

The Assistant Fire Chief added people should be clearing fire fuels from their properties and from around their houses in preparation for wildfire season.

“Wildfires at any time of year is all about ember transfer, it’s not so much about the wall of flame, it’s about embers, so we really strongly encourage people to start with a roof-down, walls-out approach,” Craig told Vernon Matters.

“If you have your wood pile stacked up against your house, now’s the time of year to get that away from the side of your house,” he said. “If you have those cedar hedges under your soffiting or under windows or up against your house, reach out to your local authority to see if there’s any programs that can help you with removal of those cedar hedges, or do it yourself and get rid of them now.”

The fire officials also stated that spring fires are not uncommon, and it did not pose as an indicator for the fire season as of yet, though Craig did note he would like to see more precipitation in the coming months to help offset risks.

by Liam Verster

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