A man's illegal campfire that quickly spread into a grass fire earned him a more than $1,000 fine on B.C. Day.
On Aug. 5, at 9:40 p.m., Oliver RCMP and local fire crews responded to a blaze on West Avenue that spread from a campfire, which is currently a banned activity province-wide.
The man, who appeared to have fled the scene after the campfire got away from him, was later identified as a 45-year-old staying in the area.
Oliver fire crews put the blaze out before it could spread any further, according to RCMP.
When the man returned to pick up his belongings, police issued him a $1,150 fine for starting a campfire during the ban.
鈥淭his is another example of how fast fire can spread in this heat and why the fire ban is in effect," said Sgt Jason Bayda from the South Okanagan RCMP. 鈥淲e thank and give credit to the Oliver Fire Department for their quick response, ensuring this fire did not spread further."
The province-wide campfire ban took effect on July 12.
