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Burn piles creating a lot of smoke just outside Parksville

Residents with respiratory challenges have reported trouble breathing
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Burn piles north of Church Road (off a gravel roadway called Lornedunn Road) just outside of Parksville city limits has been creating a lot of smoke and has caused concern for many residents of the area with respiratory challenges.

The regional district, local fire departments and The NEWS have received numerous calls from residents concerned about the smoke coming from burn piles this past week north of Church Road.

Parksville Volunteer Fire Department Chief Doug Banks told The NEWS he learned the land in question is being cleared for agricultural purposes and those doing the burning have obtained a burn authorization permit from the B.C. Forest Service.

What Banks said he wasn't sure about is whether those who are doing the burning have checked the wind and venting index in the last couple of days. Banks also said he learned a B.C. Conservation Service officer was heading to the site Wednesday.

"The venting has changed and the wind has changed direction" from when the burning started last week, said Banks. "The smoke is the issue — it's not a fire hazard."