Vernon Area Residents Report Smoke from Controlled Slash Burn Near Becker Lake
- ExNews.net
- 11 hours ago
- 1 min read
Lavington/Vernon, BC December 8, 2025 - Residents on Vernon’s East Hill and in Lavington have noticed intermittent smoke rising from the Becker Mountain ridge over the past days, with the plume visible again Sunday (Dec 7) despite light rain.
The smoke, first widely reported on December 6, prompted several 911 calls describing “trees burning” and heavy smoke in the Noble Canyon area.
Vernon-area fire crews responded but stood down shortly after confirming the activity was a permitted open burn, commonly known as a slash pile burn, taking place on private or Crown land.
No evacuation alerts or road closures have been issued, and no uncontrolled wildfire has been declared.
While not officially confirmed by authorities, the activity has been linked by some residents and observers to a Coldstream-based wildfire mitigation contractor active in the North Okanagan, and to forestry fuel-reduction projects associated with the District of Lake Country.
Slash burns are a routine winter practice in the region to reduce wildfire fuel loads, and light rain typically keeps them contained to smoldering rather than active flames.
The BC Wildfire Service dashboard currently shows no active wildfires in the immediate area.
A NASA heat detecting satellite shows this image from December 7 2025.
Residents concerned about smoke are encouraged to check bcfireinfo.ca or contact the BCWS reporting line at 1-800-663-5555.
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