Boaters Hamper Water Access on Lake

Though the nearby wildfires have prompted multiple air quality warnings and evacuation alerts, boaters on Okanagan Lake are causing problems for firefighters working in the area.

Boaters are delaying firefighters’ efforts to scoop up water from the lake and forced crews to request the RCMP’s help keeping the public away from the lake says Glen Burgess of the the BC Wildfire Service.

Boaters are getting too close to fire crews’ helicopters and skimmers amphibious planes, that can hold more than 3,000 litres of water or fire-retardant chemicals and use the lake as a bucketing tool and water source.

Still classified as out of control by the BC Wildfire Service, the wildfire in Okanagan Mountain provincial park has grown to nearly 14 square kilometres.