Canal Flats Fire Rescue

08/29/2026

Earlier this month, the Timber Springs Community near Fairmont Hot Springs was hit by a wildfire. A BC Wildfire Service helicopter crew and an initial attack crew, already en route to a nearby fire, were diverted and intervened almost immediately. No structures were lost, and some cabins that were surrounded by flames came away scorched but standing.

Pictured here is Bill Thompson, in his "I Am FireSmart" t-shirt. His daughter, Kirsten Thompson, shared the photo along with her family's story.

"We are a FireSmart community, and I have teased my Dad, Bill, about him cutting down trees and obsessively cleaning up pine needles and debris. We were incredibly lucky, and no structures were lost, even though some were entirely surrounded by flames. Cabins were scorched but otherwise unscathed, in part because trees had been cut back and fuel sources replaced with rock borders. I am 100% a believer now and heartily endorse this program."

FireSmart activities can reduce risk to a home, but outcomes depend on many factors, including weather, fire behaviour, and emergency response. Kirsten and her family credit their FireSmart work, along with a fast response from BC Wildfire Service, with how their home came through.

Photo and story shared with permission from the Thompson family.

Do you have a FireSmart story we can share? Please reach out to [email protected].

Learn what FireSmart steps you can take today at firesmartbc.ca/prepare/

08/16/2026

Canal Flats Fire Rescue would like to thank everyone who supported us this past weekend at another amazing Flats Fest!! Heres a few fun videos of some of our department members taking the plunge!! I hear there may be a few more videos out there that we can hopefully share 😉 thanks so much again everyone!!

08/11/2026

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service (COS) is a public safety provider focused on natural resource law enforcement and human wildlife conflicts prevention and response.

08/10/2026

Given the scope and scale of wildfires currently burning in B.C., and to further protect public safety, recreational off-road vehicle use will be prohibited on Crown land in the Kamloops and Southeast Fire Centres, as well as parts of the Cariboo and Coastal Fire Centres. This prohibition is effective immediately, as of 12 p.m. (noon) on August 10, 2026.

Full information for current prohibitions and restrictions is provided here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/wildfire-status/prevention/fire-bans-and-restrictions

08/03/2026

POWER OUTAGE UPDATE - BC HYDRO (posted: Aug.2.26 - 8:45pm)

Here is an update from BC Hydro regarding the power outage:

BC Hydro crews have completed their damage assessment along the BC Hydro transmission line. They've identified 2 structures that need to be replaced. If weather and fire behavior don’t impede the progress of the crews, they anticipate that they can have power restored around midnight tonight.

Please keep in mind that restoration times are estimates and can change with the conditions.

They also expect that there may be other localized outages that they aren’t able to identify until the power is restored.

08/02/2026

With the extended power outage in the Canal Flats area, we understand that you or someone you know may require a wellness check. You can message us on here and we’ll do our best to stop by and check in on you or a family member. Alternately, you can call 250-919-2817 or 250-417-1228

07/31/2026

Cooler weather arriving this weekend may cause some windy conditions. Please be diligent about reporting possible new wildfire starts and heeding the Category 1 Fire Ban. Have a safe and fun long weekend.

07/22/2026

No matter where you live in the East Kootenay, please register for the Evacuation Notification System.

Register at www.rdek.bc.ca/ens to be alerted in the event of an evacuation order or alert. You can sign up to be alerted on a landline, cellphone or by text. Or, sign up for the Voyent Alert! app.

If you are already registered, please login to confirm that the pins are on your exact location as we have found that many people have not placed their pin directly on their intended property and risk missing out on critical alerts or being alerted incorrectly.

This service is available to all East Kootenay residents, property owners, and even visitors — including rural RDEK, municipalities, and First Nations.

For broader emergency information, follow the RDEK on social media, monitor local media, follow your local municipal channels, or sign up for an RDEK email group at www.rdek.bc.ca/emailgroup

07/20/2026

As of July 23 all fires are banned in the Village of Canal Flats, along with the rest of the South East Fire District.

FROM BC WILDFIRE SERVICE: Category 1 campfire to be prohibited in the Southeast Fire Centre (Posted 07.20.26)

Category 1 campfire to be prohibited in the Southeast Fire Centre

Effective at 1:00 PM MT on Thursday, July 23, 2026, Category 1 campfire will be prohibited throughout the Southeast Fire Centre, which includes the Rocky Mountain Natural Resource District and the Selkirk Natural Resource District. This prohibition is being enacted to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.

Anyone conducting a Category 1 campfire within the Southeast Fire Centre's jurisdiction must extinguish it by the 1:00 PM MT, July 23, 2026, deadline.

This prohibition will remain in place until 12:00 noon Pacific Time October 31, 2026, or until the order is rescinded.

A Category 1 campfire is a fire that burns:

1. No larger than 0.5 metres in height and 0.5 metres in width
2. Used for recreational purposes or by a First Nation for ceremonial purposes

Also prohibited is the equipment and activities listed below (Wildfire Act, Section 12):
• Air curtain burners
• Carbonizers
• Fireworks as defined in the Fireworks Act of BC
• Binary exploding targets
• Burn barrels or burn cages or any size or description
• Controlled air incinerators
• Sky lanterns
• Wood-fired hot tubs, wood-fired pizza ovens, and other wood-fired devices unless vented through a structure that has a flue and is incorporated in a building

This prohibition does not include the use of outdoor stoves. As per the Wildfire Regulation, an outdoor stove is a CSA-rated or ULC-rated device used outdoors for cooking, heat or ambiance that burns charcoal briquettes, liquid fuel or gaseous fuel and has a flame height that is less than 15 cm tall. More information about outdoor stoves can be found on our Open fire and safer burning webpage.

Reminder that Category 2 open fire have been prohibited since July 10, 2026, and Category 3 open fire have been prohibited since May 21, 2026.

Read the FULL news release here: https://blog.gov.bc.ca/bcwildfire/category-1-campfire-to-be-prohibited-in-the-southeast-fire-centre/

07/17/2026

Fiction: If my lawn is green, my home can’t burn. 🍃

Fact: During a wildland fire, embers can travel kilometres ahead of the fire front and ignite combustible materials around your home, including grass.

The tip: cut your grass short, less than 10cm!