The Okanagan Forest Task Force was formed in 2016 with the goal of cleaning up the Okanagan’s backcountry. Since the group’s formation, millions of pounds of illegally dumped garbage have been cleaned up by the task force. Founder Kane Blake says the volunteers do more than just collect garbage. On Friday, Blake shared alarming statistics of how many abandoned fires the team put out during May to October of 2023. “We put out roughly 300 abandoned fires between Kelowna and Lake Country. They just get left unattended or they are done for the night and feel it’s just okay to leave,” Blake said. He says roughly 30 to 40 of the fires were put out during strict fire bans. “Five of the fires had already started to catch brush and/or trees in the area on fire,” Blake added. The volunteer group saved one life during a vehicle fire which the team put out.