The Port Alberni Fire Department responded to some burning complaints over the weekend, and Fire Captain Randy Thoen says people are putting lives and property at risk if they’re lighting fires during this dry spell.
“We’re still having to respond to backyard burning complaints within city limits, which is of great concern because there is a province-wide burning ban still in place.”
Thoen said firefighters also responded to bark mulch fires over the weekend after people carelessly discarded smoking materials.
Local first-responder crews noticed an increase in medical calls over the weekend, related to breathing difficulties related to the poor air-quality caused by smoke from wildfires.