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Early drying trend observed

This spring fire season has started with unseasonably warm temperatures.
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Fire crews have already responded to wildfires in the region and throughout the province.

This spring fire season has started with unseasonably warm temperatures.

There is nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to fires in the Summerland area.

Conditions are routine as a fire hazard rating is currently at Level 2, which is normal for this time of year, said fire chief Glenn Noble.

Meanwhile, officials with the Kamloops Fire Centre have noticed an early drying trend, so people should still take precautions when they are doing open burning.

Most of the fires around this time of year are caused by people and are preventable, said Kevin Skrepnek of the Kamloops Fire Centre.

There has however been a fire in the Pike Mountain region near Princeton.

An 85-hectare fire there is now in the mop-up phase.

The cause of this fire is still under investigation.

For making the areas around your home safer you can look at the homeowners manual at www.BCwildfire.ca.

Elsewhere in British Columbia, the wildfire season in Prince George started early. Since April 1, 12 fires have burned a total of 88 hectares.

These also include recent fires in the Fort St. John and Peace River areas.

Wildfire service crews  or local fire departments have extinguished four of the fires, while the other eight fires are currently in the patrol phase.

All of these fires have been suspected to be caused by people and resulted from grass burning or pile burning.

People who are planning to do any large scale industrial burning or conduct a grass burn of over 0.2 hectares must obtain a burn registration number ahead of time by calling 1-888-797-1717.

Please also remember if you see a wildfire or a unattended campfire or burning violation call toll-free 1-8000-663-5555, or *5555 on most cellular networks.