CASTLEGAR – The BC Wildfire Service will be supporting the City of Kimberley in conducting a wildfire risk reduction prescribed burn within the municipality. This burn will take place in the Kimberley Nature Park trail network, running south of the Swan Avenue Trailhead covering up to 20 hectares.
The exact timing of this burn will depend on weather and site conditions, but could begin as early as Saturday, April 26, 2025.
Smoke may impact the residents closest to the burn area and be visible from the City of Kimberley, the surrounding area and motorists travelling along Highway 95A.
Burning will proceed if conditions are suitable to achieve objectives and allow for smoke dispersal, though smoke may linger in the following days, particularly the morning after burn operations. Despite all precautions to manage it, unintended smoke impacts are possible after any burn.
Key goals of this prescribed burn include:
- Reducing continuous build-up of fine fuels and woody debris
- Decreasing shrub coverage
- Reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires in the area
Fire is a normal and natural process in many of B.C.’s ecosystems. The BC Wildfire Service works regularly with land managers to undertake fuel management activities (including the use of prescribed burns), to help achieve land management objectives, reduce the severity of future wildfires and increase ecosystem and wildfire resilience. These projects are carefully planned and only go ahead at the right times and under the right conditions to ensure community and practitioner safety.
Learn more about prescribed burning online at prescribedfire.ca.
To report a wildfire, dial *5555 on a cell phone or call 1-800-663-5555 toll-free. You can also report a wildfire using the BC Wildfire App Report a Fire function. Reporting though the app lets you upload images and can be used without service.
To report an unattended campfire or open burning violation, call the RAPP line on 1-877-952-7277.
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Contact:
Will Booth
Fire Chief, Kimberley Fire Department
City of Kimberley
250-427-9687
WBooth@kimberley.ca
Fire Information Officer
Southeast Fire Centre
BC Wildfire Service
250-318-7715
Connect with the Province of B.C. at www.gov.bc.ca/connect.