It’s tinder dry, brown, and crisp. There is a massive [at this time 100 + hectares] forest fire raging in Peachland, which lays in the central Okanagan in British Columbia. That’s only a hour and a half from our place. Homes are being evacuated, it’s so bad the highway is closed near Peachland. My neighbours are having campfires in their backyard every night during the fire ban, a re these people special? Why don’t the rules apply to everyone?
They have a fire pit burning in their lawn, during a fire ban, in a area that is full of large trees, dry grass, and houses. I can smell the smoke every night that they are thoughtlessly burning in their backyard.
I am worried for the people who live in Peachland, the TV news showing billowing smoke, the burning area growing by the minute, fire consuming everything. Water bombers, and helicopters are doing what they can, fire fighters are on the ground, but as it stands right now, they don’t know if it will do more damage before they contain it.
This is a threat that we all live with in the Okanagan, wild fires, lightening strikes, and burning houses. It’s reality in a dry climate, and with a active fire ban you think that people would be a little more concerned. They don’t seem to care, and it’s frustrating that we can’t pin point exactly who is burning campfires. There seems to be a real live, and let live mentality around here, if your neighbours are lighting fires during a fire ban, just ignore it and be a good neighbour. Is it easier to do that, and take the chance of a spark igniting, then saying something?
We saw a large plume of black smelly smoke making it’s way up to the sky the other day, someone burning garbage probably, no one worries.except for a few of us. I have to wonder if the rules only apply to some people, and if those that break them really care if anyone else is hurt. Smouldering…