Prescribed burn on Nooaitch Indian Band land near Merritt scheduled for March

Smoke may be visible in the Lower Nicola starting next month.

The BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) says it will support the Nooaitch Indian Band in carrying out a 29-hectare prescribed burn on Nooaitch Indian Reserves No. 9 and 10, nearly 20 kilometres west of Merritt.

In a news release issued Friday (Feb. 21), BCWS says smoke may be visible to Nooaitch members, residents in the City of Merritt and the Lower Nicola region and to drivers travelling along Highway 8.

The prescribed burn could begin as early as Monday, March 3, but BCWS says it’s dependent on the site conditions and weather. The burn is expected to last until the end of April.

The BCWS says some of the goals of the prescribed burn are to reduce the build-up of dead grass, remove forest fuels to reduce long-term wildfire risk.