A man has been issued a heavy fine after lighting a campfire that got out of hand in the Okanagan on Monday.
The South Okanagan RCMP says police and fire crews responded to reports of a grass fire on West Avenue in Oliver, B.C. around 9:40 p.m.
When officials arrived, Mounties say they found camping equipment and items that identified a 45-year-old who had been staying in the area but “appeared to have fled when the campfire got away from him.”
“Fortunately, the Oliver Fire Department were able to quickly put the fire out before it spread further,” said Sgt. Jason Bayda in a statement Wednesday.
Police say the man later returned to pick up his belongings and officers issued him a violation ticket for starting a fire during a provincial fire ban.
As of Aug. 1, campfires were once again allowed in the Prince George and Northwest fire centres. Oliver, which resides in the Kamloops Fire Centre, is still under a campfire ban.