Fairmont Volunteer Fire Department

08/28/2026

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/

08/28/2026

August has been a challenging month for the Fire Service and many communities in BC. We are proud that our Columbia Valley Rural Fire Fighters stepped forward to assist when called upon by the Province, just as we are equally proud of our members who continued to respond to our local emergencies this summer.

For most of August, we deployed 2 apparatus and rotated crews who were deployed and served in The Cariboo, Thompson and Okanagan regions. All members are home, safe and rested.

Our continuing thanks and appreciation to our Firefighters, and their families for their sacrifices in protecting us locally as well other British Columbians in times of need.

08/02/2026

The time to prepare for an emergency wildfire situation and increase you situational awareness is NOW.
Current fire hazards, coupled with increasing winds and temperatures and a moment's inattention can have catastrophic circumstances.
PLEASE focus and prepare on what to do in the event of a sudden tactical evacuation in the event of another fire start near you.
Review prior RDEK emergency preparedness messaging and stay turned for updates.

URGENT WILDFIRE UPDATE 08.01.26

Crews are responding to four new fires at this hour and this is an emerging situation - particularly in the Ta Ta Creek area.

N11360 - in the Ta Ta Creek area off of Highway 95A
• A tactical evacuation is underway for residences closest to the fire - door knocking is underway. Formal notification will be forthcoming - as the Evacuation Order boundary is confirmed.
• Highway 95A is closed in the area of the fire
• Further information coming soon; however, residents and recreationalists in the Ta Ta Creek area should be taking steps to prepare to leave on a moments notice and follow instructions from first reponders/emergency personnel if they arrive at your property and direct you to leave.
• Emergency Support Services (ESS) is available at Parkland Middle School in Cranbrook located at 1115 2 Ave S, Cranbrook, BC. Look for signage.

OTHER FIRE UPDATES:

N11356 - NW of the Koocanusa Bridge / RDEK Boat Launch
• Crews and aviation are responding

N21358 - in the Skookumchuck Creek area near Farstad Way
• Crews and aviation are responding

N21362 - Fairmont Area (Coys area)
• Suppression activities are underway / crews are responding

We are aware of power outages in multiple areas - the best resource for details is the BC Hydro Outage Map: https://www.bchydro.com/power-outages/app/outage-map.html

07/26/2026

PLEASE STAY CLEAR of the water and the area if you see Tanker Planes or Helicopters approaching. It is both illegal and highly dangerous to interfere with Fire Fighting Aircraft Operations. Be aware of the developing situation in the Region, visit BCWildfire.ca or download the mobile app for information.

07/21/2026

Category 1 Open Fire Prohibitions including Campfires come into effect this coming Thursday. Please read the details in the post regarding the use of CSA Approved pellet smokers and propane appliances with a maximum flame height of 15cm.

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/

07/12/2026

Fairmont Fire received a delivery in error. This is the fire department address, but we do not know this person. If you do know them, have them reach out to us.

07/10/2026

Category 2 open fires, INCLUDING FIREWORKS are now prohibited in the Southeast Fire Centre including all of the RDEK.

FROM BC WILDFIRE SERVICE: Category 2 open fire to be prohibited in the Southeast Fire Centre (Posted 07.08.26)

Effective at 1:00 PM MT on Friday, July 10, 2026, Category 2 open fire will be prohibited throughout the Southeast Fire Centre, including 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 Category 2 open fires within the Southeast Fire Centre's jurisdiction must extinguish those fires by the 1:00 PM MT, July 10, 2026, deadline.

This prohibition will remain in place until 1:00 PM MT October 31, 2026, or until the order is rescinded.

This prohibition does not include Category 1 campfires.

A Category 2 open fire is a fire that burns:
1. Material in one pile not exceeding 2 metres in height and 3 metres in width
2. Material concurrently in 2 piles each not exceeding 2 metres in height and 3 metres in width
3. Stubble or grass over an area that does not exceed 0.2 hectares

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 of any size or description
• Controlled air incinerators

Municipalities often follow BC Wildfire Service prohibitions or may impose different prohibitions based on conditions in their local area. If you are in a municipality, be sure to check if local prohibitions are in place. If you are within a regional district or improvement district, this prohibition applies as well as any local prohibition issued by the regional district or improvement district. BC Parks follows BC Wildfire Service prohibitions.

Read the FULL news release here: https://blog.gov.bc.ca/bcwildfire/

04/01/2026

02/05/2026

CV Fire is recommending EXTREME Caution in the coming days on Lake Windermere and Columbia Lake as well as surrounding lakes.
With the continued unseasonably warm forecast persisting late into next week the ice on Lake Windermere and surrounding areas will continue to deteriorate.
Along with organizers cancelling some of their public events on the ice, one can not help but notice that even our most die-hard ice anglers have removed or not placed their fishing huts this year due to the ice conditions.
Our thanks to Toby Creek Nordic Ski Club for their diligent Whiteway updates.
https://weather.gc.ca/en/location/index.html?coords=50.467,-115.983