The southeast branch of B.C.’s Wildfire Management has responded to ten fires since Tuesday, April 1st — three of which were in the Invermere area.

In the valley, crews responded to a fire at the Canfor Mill in Radium Hot Springs as a precautionary measure. There was one fire beside Highway 93 near Columbia Lake, and a third  northeast of Munn Lake.

All ten fires were human caused, said fire information officer Karlie Shaughnessy, but no charges have been laid and it is not known whether they were caused intentionally or not.

Wildfires are slightly below the five-year average for this time of year, as the Wildfire Management Branch normally attends to 12.2 fires, covering an average of 51.2 hectares. Just 34 hectares of land has burned this year.

“These incidents serve to remind the public to remain vigilant when lighting any open fires and ensure that they are fully prepared to extinguish those fires,” states a Wildfire Management Branch press release, which can offer relevant advice online through www.bcwildfire.ca/Prevention.

Anybody planning to burn more than 0.2 hectares of grass will need a registration number, which can be obtained by phoning 1-888-797-1717.

To report a wildfire, the number to dial is 800-663-5555, or dial *5555 from a cellphone.