Warfield prescribed burn could begin Sept. 29
BC Wildfire Service graphic for prescribed fire in the Southeast Fire Centre. The image is illustrative and does not depict the Warfield burn site.
Photo credit: BC Wildfire Service
WARFIELD — A prescribed burn covering up to 2.4 hectares of municipally owned land between Whitman Way and Bingay Road could begin as early as Tuesday, Sept. 29, if weather and site conditions are suitable, according to the BC Wildfire Service.
The burn is planned on Village of Warfield land, with BC Wildfire Service supporting the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary in carrying out the project. As of Monday, BCWS had not posted a separate notice confirming that ignition will go ahead Sept. 29.
The project is intended to reduce dead wood and other combustible material in the area to lower wildfire risk. BCWS said the burn will also serve as a public demonstration and provide cross-training between the regional district and Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue, with the work intended to improve the safety and effectiveness of future wildfire suppression.
Ignition will proceed only when weather, fuel and site conditions meet the requirements set out in the prescribed-burn plan and smoke can disperse appropriately. The plan also establishes requirements for staffing and equipment, mitigation measures and monitoring after the burn.
Smoke may be visible from Warfield, surrounding communities and Highway 22. Residents close to the site may experience smoke, and BCWS said smoke may linger in the following days, particularly the morning after burn operations.
The Village of Warfield first advised residents Sept. 10 that prescribed burning was planned between Whitman Way and Bingay Road during the fall. BCWS followed with its burn-specific notice Sept. 24, identifying the area as up to 2.4 hectares and setting Sept. 29 as the earliest possible ignition date.
The Warfield project was announced after a series of other prescribed burns planned elsewhere in the Southeast Fire Centre and was not among the locations included in the Boundary Sentinel’s Sept. 19 roundup.
Stage 2 water restrictions remain in effect in Kimberley through Sept. 30, when the city says all current water restrictions will end.