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KELOWNA, BC – Although nearby wildfires continue to wreak havoc in the region, boaters from Okanagan Lake, British Columbia, continue to enjoy the best of a BC Glen Burgess, BC Wildfire Service, said boaters hinder the reaction of firefighter support aircraft, which use the lake as a draining tool and source of water.
] Burgess stated that forest fires were prevalent on the shoreline, but that boaters were not kept away from well-known recreational places, and that the RCMP was eventually called to prevent the public from returning
. Burgess said at a briefing Saturday
that fire information officer Noelle Kekula said Sunday in an interview that boaters were getting too close to helicopters and skimmers. Amphibious tankers that can hold more than 3,000 liters of water or fire-retardant chemicals and need room to take off once they fill up.
"Think (on the lake) as a landing strip: skimmers have to come in and land, and then they need enough space to take off again," she said. adding that helicopters and skimmers become much heavier when they are full of water
"says Kekula, and may drop the water more precisely than the" shotgun "that the skimmers take when they empty themselves over a fire pit.
Kekula is particularly frustrated by repeated warnings to boaters whose actions put firefighters and their communities at risk and create "incredible safety concerns".
She says she does not know why boaters are getting dangerously close to the plane, but said she would not be surprised if they were thrill seekers trying to ride the big wakes created by the skimmers. "19659002" It's the million-dollar question for which people interfere with our operations, "said Kekula
Kekula hopes the public warnings, as well as the RCMP's involvement, will help boaters to
Wildfire in Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park has grown to nearly 14 square kilometers and is out of control by authorities BC Wildfire Service
– By Spencer Harwood in Vancouver (Follow him on Twitter @ SpenceHarwood)
© Copyright 2018 Prince George Citizen
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