Klay Tindall

Lil’wat Forestry Ventures (LFV) is urging recreational shooters to be cautious around forestry operations after nearby gunfire allegedly prevented crews from addressing a wildfire hazard. An Aug. 1 Natural Resource Officer inspection record for an LFV site in the South Coast region identified alleged non-compliance related to fire-hazard abatement. LFV general manager Klay Tindall said inspectors identified slash piles above Rutherford Creek that the company had intended to burn last fall, before stray gunfire from across the creek forced them off-site. … Under B.C.’s current violation-ticket schedule, failing to abate a fire hazard under Section 7(2) carries a $1,000 fine plus a $150 victim surcharge, for a total ticket amount of $1,150. …Tindall said no fine had been issued to LFV as of his Aug. 17 interview with Pique. …LFV has since explained the circumstances surrounding the unburned piles to the natural resource officer, Tindall said, and does not view the enforcement matter as a major concern.