Fire ban in effect in B.C. Interior [Video]

KAMLOOPS, B.C. –

The BC Wildfire Service has announced a five-month open fire ban covering much of the province’s Interior, as fire season gets off to an early start.

The ban on Category 3 fires in the Kamloops fire centre will run from May 3 to Oct. 11 and will prohibit people burning three or more fires on a property at the same time, or any single fire burning a pile larger than two metres in height or three metres in width.

Grass burns bigger than 0.2 hectares will also be banned, the service says.

Areas covered by the ban include the Lillooet, Kamloops, Merritt, Vernon and Penticton fire zones.

Drought conditions still cover much of B.C., and fire officials worry about another challenging season after last year’s record destruction.

A wildfire evacuation alert issued in the Interior over the weekend for the tiny town of Endako has now been rescinded, while another …