Top Stories – May 15 – Small Wildfire

Around dinner time yesterday Kelowna firefighters were called to deal with a 30 ft by 30 ft wildfire below Mount Baldy Drive at the north end of Dilworth Drive. Access was an issue so crews initially cut a guard around the fire to contain it until hose lines were in place and a water source was secured and it was quickly extinguished. The fire appears to have started in a homeless camp.

A wildfire burned for about 3 hours in Kalamalka Provincial Park up the hill from Jade Beach Friday afternoon. Coldstream and BC Wildfire crews tackled the blaze on the ground while retardant was dropped from planes. The fire was considered being held by 5pm, and the Wildfire Service said it was suspected to be human caused.

While it feels like a regular summer, don’t forget that it’s only the middle of May. Temperatures in the Central Okanagan are expected to stay about 10 degrees above the normal high of 20 for this time of year for the next couple of days. As of yesterday a high streamflow advisory was still in place and the warmer weather is expected to accelerate the snow melt.

A garage fire near Gallagher’s on Saturday evening destroyed the structure and everything that was inside. Kelowna Fire Department got the call to the 3800 block of Water Road about 9pm. There were no hydrants nearby so a water tender was used. The fire was deemed accidental.

A Drug Alert was issued in Penticton after a substance with high concentrations of fentanyl was identified. Interior Health said it’s, described as light blue and chunky, and is comprised of 50 to 55 percent fentanyl, and 10 to 15 percent Bromazolam, which can negate the effectiveness of Naloxone.

Someone had to do it. An Alberta entomologist has compiled a comprehensive guide of insects that live in cow dung in Canada. Kevin Floate says there are about three hundred different insects and all but about three are beneficial to the environment. He realizes it’s an unusual topic so he doesn’t mind bad puns when it comes to his stinky job.

Mounting frustration over the response to Alberta’s wildfires has local officials warning members of the public to not act on their own, even if they mean well. The County of Grande Prairie says someone operating a personal bulldozer put themselves and crews in danger by nearly running over fire crews and their equipment. About 300 members of the Canadian Forces are deploying across the province to help with the blazes.

Peloton has issued a voluntary recall of 108,000 its original bike’s seat post for Canadian customers. The equipment maker says the seat post assembly can break during use, posing fall and injury hazards. The recall affects the original PL-01 model.

Serbian authorities say residents have been handing over weapons by the thousands after two deadly mass shootings this month where 17 people died. Police displayed many of the roughly 13,500 weapons collected in amnesty, including hand grenades, automatic weapons, and anti-tank rocket launchers.

Sports

It’s game 7 in Dallas at 5pm between the Stars and Seattle with the winner going on to play Las Vegas after the Golden Knights eliminated Edmonton last night with a 5-2 win.

The Eastern Conference Final between Carolina and Florida will begin in Raleigh, but a starting day hadn’t been announced as of last night.

Blue Jays had three games at home against the Braves on the weekend and won all of them. The Yankees move into Rogers Centre for 4 games starting this afternoon.