On weekend when southern B.C. burned, violators of fire bans were caught in the act

By Brenna Owen On a weekend when thousands of people were forced to flee a ferocious wildfire that destroyed hundreds of homes along Okanagan Lake, others were lighting illegal fires nearby, and in other parts of British Columbia’s Interior ravaged by blazes. The B.C. Conservation Officer Service said Thursday that officers patrolling the Clinton, 70 Mile House, Okanagan Lake and Boston Bar areas — all of which have been threatened by out-of-control major fires that remain out of control — handed out 18 tickets for illegal fires over the long weekend, when hot weather and powerful winds turned some fires into infernos. The impact of the erup…