Fire North of Rattle Snake Island

[Drip_Torch]

You do realize of course that the wind has picked up with white caps on the lake.. I can tell you it is" pulling smoke now "

... and you're right, the wind is picking up and obviously fires are still entirely possible. Another way to look at this is: BCWS is just winding down from a very busy, demanding and I'm sure exhausting fire season. Crews have been demobilized, students have gone back to school and I'm sure many people have just started to carry on with their lives.

There is always the possibility of another fire, perhaps one that's much closer to people, property and infrastructure. So, IMHO, beyond just the beneficial aspects of letting this fire do its thing through this burn period (which will be over in about 3 hours) there is also the other management objective to consider - keep the resources handy in case they really are needed somewhere.

[Rjamer]

I know about beneficial burns,,most people do.. I said the wind picked up with whitecaps on the lake and there is lots of smoke now as the fire is really burning .. There isn`t much to burn over there so it will probably just burn itself out at some point ..I certainly didn`t mean to offend the fire experts on here.. lol

[Frisk]

Fire is a necessary part of the forest ecosystem, it cleans up and keeps the forests healthy. By putting out every single fire and neglecting the increasing fuel build up, all you are doing is creating a scenario for larger and more intense fires in the future.

I understand that we've experienced many wildfires here in the Okanagan in recent years so seeing smoke in the forests is obviously alarming but I assure you that this fire poses no risk to any structures. If it does escape its boundaries they will knock it down pretty quickly.

[Buckeye19]

I sure hope the Forestry folks let this one continue to burn. With the low fire danger rating and strong overnight recoveries, this looks like a great opportunity to enhance some wildlife habitat and lower the risk of another catastrophic fire. A win-win in my eyes. Decades of putting fires like this one out are the reason we have fire seasons like 2003, 2009 and 2017. Fire is a necessary part of the environment. Mother Nature doesn't like when we put out fires that rejuvenate the forest.

It is unfortunate that Castanet gives airtime to people who have nothing better to do than complain about something they clearly don't know anything about. This fire poses absolutely zero risk to people or infrastructure and is only doing good on the landscape. Let 'er burn!

[cooldude]

I sure hope the Forestry folks let this one continue to burn. With the low fire danger rating and strong overnight recoveries, this looks like a great opportunity to enhance some wildlife habitat and lower the risk of another catastrophic fire. A win-win in my eyes. Decades of putting fires like this one out are the reason we have fire seasons like 2003, 2009 and 2017. Fire is a necessary part of the environment. Mother Nature doesn't like when we put out fires that rejuvenate the forest.

It is unfortunate that Castanet gives airtime to people who have nothing better to do than complain about something they clearly don't know anything about. This fire poses absolutely zero risk to people or infrastructure and is only doing good on the landscape. Let 'er burn!

Totally agree. There is a huge difference between 2003 and today. Today, same ares has virtually no forest litter that was built up over many years, no fine or coarse woody debris. Lots of grass, which when burned, enhances deer browse habitat. And, its now October, which means the fire indices are lowering daily. Yes it has been deemed a human caused incident, but there are no values at risk at this time. Enjoy the show everyone.

[pentona]

The photo posted in this story today is highly unlikely to be the present fire; much more likely is the 2003 fire scene. Why not post what it looks like in reality, rather than trying to blow things out of proportion. Not the best reporting in my opinion.

https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/2 ... 6-hectares

Not a lot of living trees in that area to burn, though it would be nice if somehow, someone could remove all the dead/standing timber from Okanagan Mountain Park lands. Leaving them there, standing is an accident waiting to happen; eventually they will topple down; hopefully nobody will get hurt. I understand that cutting them with a normal chain saw can do serious damage to the saw (after the trees are charred like that) but there must be a way to bring in specialized equipment to "clip" them off, de-bark them and perhaps utilize some of the wood, or at least remove the fall hazard.

[maryjane48]

I understand that cutting them with a normal chain saw can do serious damage to the saw (after the trees are charred like that)

you have proof of this?

[Fancy]

you have proof of this?

Before ridiculing someone, google it.

http://www.forestryforum.com/board/inde ... ic=14083.0

Seems a few discussions out there about burnt trees being hard on a chainsaw.

[WalterWhite]

The photo posted in this story today is highly unlikely to be the present fire; much more likely is the 2003 fire scene. Why not post what it looks like in reality, rather than trying to blow things out of proportion. Not the best reporting in my opinion.

https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/2 ... 6-hectares

Not a lot of living trees in that area to burn, though it would be nice if somehow, someone could remove all the dead/standing timber from Okanagan Mountain Park lands. Leaving them there, standing is an accident waiting to happen; eventually they will topple down; hopefully nobody will get hurt. I understand that cutting them with a normal chain saw can do serious damage to the saw (after the trees are charred like that) but there must be a way to bring in specialized equipment to "clip" them off, de-bark them and perhaps utilize some of the wood, or at least remove the fall hazard.

Actually, what’s really highly unlikely, is that you viewed the fire yourself last night. Otherwise you’d realize that it looked exactly like this. Being a park, tree removal by anyone/thing other than natural causes is considered only under the most necessary of circumstances.

[Poindexter]

Still plenty of fuel, the 2003 fires followed certain paths through Okanagan Mountain Park and left a fair bit untouched. There are also all the trees that were killed by that 2003 fire but didn't burn, many have fallen and have added to the 14 years of debris that have accumulated since then. Hopefully the cool nights and dewy mornings keep it from getting completely out of hand.

[Rjamer]

That is exactly what the fire looked like last night !! Anyone that actually viewed the fire last night or early this morning would know that.. I guess they must think that Castanet is pulling a fast one on them with 2003 pictures.. Hilarious !!

Actually, what’s really highly unlikely, is that you viewed the fire yourself last night. Otherwise you’d realize that it looked exactly like this. Being a park, tree removal by anyone/thing other than natural causes is considered only under the most necessary of circumstances.[/quote]

[pentona]

That is exactly what the fire looked like last night !! Anyone that actually viewed the fire last night or early this morning would know that.. I guess they must think that Castanet is pulling a fast one on them with 2003 pictures.. Hilarious !!

Actually, what’s really highly unlikely, is that you viewed the fire yourself last night. Otherwise you’d realize that it looked exactly like this. Being a park, tree removal by anyone/thing other than natural causes is considered only under the most necessary of circumstances.

[/quote]

Ok, I viewed it from further South so may have gotten a different glimpse; my bad (if that was indeed this week's pic).

Re the removal in a park; not so. For instance huge amounts of trees were removed from a Provincial Park on Mt. Kobau during the fires two years ago; logging truck loads in fact. Saw it first hand. Maybe they wanted to get them outta there before the tree huggers won their National Park issue.

[WalterWhite]

Ok, I viewed it from further South so may have gotten a different glimpse; my bad (if that was indeed this week's pic).

Re the removal in a park; not so. For instance huge amounts of trees were removed from a Provincial Park on Mt. Kobau during the fires two years ago; logging truck loads in fact. Saw it first hand. Maybe they wanted to get them outta there before the tree huggers won their National Park issue.

I can’t seem to find it online atm, but I recall an interview with Ross Gorman (Gorman Bros. Woods Products) after the 2003 fires where he stated he had been advocating fuel mitigation in the park for years, but was told it simply would not be permitted. Every park is different, and every situation is different in every park, however removal of trees or any flora and fauna is generally a no go within park boundaries. I’m sure someone with a bit more first hand knowledge on the subject, particularly pertaining to OK Mountain park will chime in with better info.

[Treblehook]

The fire currently burning just north of Rattlesnake Island, on Okanagan Moutain, was apparently human started. There can be little doubt about that fact. There can also be little doubt that the person responsible knows without a doubt that they were the cause... whether it was a carelessly discarded cigarette or otherwise. If you take into consideration the location of the fire, the chance that anyone else was over there at the time is negligible.

[Poindexter]

The fire currently burning just north of Rattlesnake Island, on Okanagan Moutain, was apparently human started. There can be little doubt about that fact. There can also be little doubt that the person responsible knows without a doubt that they were the cause... whether it was a carelessly discarded cigarette or otherwise. If you take into consideration the location of the fire, the chance that anyone else was over there at the time is negligible.

It is odd because the terrain there is steep. I was out that way the other day looking for the bullet riddled boat which coincidentally was in the same area. One thing that does come to mind is this rather large fellow that appeared to be in his 60's had parked his Jetski in a small cove in that area. Seemed to be resting but when I went by about 45 minutes later he was on his Jetski, no life jacket, pulling a large gnarly tree branch that he had tied to his tow hook. Seemed like a strange thing to do which is probably why I remember it, but it does show that it's possible someone with a small watercraft, or even kayaking, had pulled into one of those miniscule coves for one reason or another and tossed a butt.