Submitted
The BC Wildfire Service plans to conduct a 12-hectare prescribed burn in the Crawford Creek area on the East Shore of Kootenay Lake as early as Thursday to help reduce wildfire threats and prepare the area for replanting.
The burn site is about 10 kilometres east of Crawford Bay, and smoke may be visible from Crawford Bay, Queens Bay, Balfour, Ainsworth and surrounding communities. Smoke may also be visible to motorists travelling along Highway 3A and Highway 31.
The exact timing of this burn will depend on weather and site conditions. Trained BC Wildfire Service personnel will monitor this fire at all times.
The BC Wildfire Service said key goals of this prescribed burn include reducing accumulations of dead and combustible material, delaying the growth of competing vegetation; and decreasing the risk of future catastrophic wildfires in the area.
Burning will proceed only if conditions are suitable and allow for low to moderate-intensity fire.