PEMBERTON B.C. (CelebrityAccess) — Organizers for the Pemberton Music Festival met with Village officials on Tuesday over concerns that major forest fires burning in the region may force the cancellation of the event.
According to a report by CBC News, the meeting was to assess the threat of two massive fires burning about 25 miles to the northwest of Pemberton, with the festival set to take place in Pemberton from July 16-19.
“Public safety remains our number one priority. We continue to monitor the situation closely and communicate with authorities from the Village of Pemberton, Lil’wat Nation and SLRD. At this time, with the current condition, direction and location of the fires, there are no plans to cancel the festival. However, we cannot predict what Mother Nature has in store in the days to come, nor speculate what the situation will look like a week from now with regard to air quality or the proximity of the fires," event organizer Huka Entertainment said in a statement.
Pemberton Mayor Mike Richman sounded a cautious note, telling CBC News that officials were waiting to see how events developed as the festival draws closer.
"We haven't gone there (to talks of cancelling) yet, but we are having meetings with managers to determine the threshold," he said.
"If the fires become more of a threat, we certainly don't want to bring 30,000 extra people into the valley that might have to be evacuated."
The province of British Columbia has had a difficult year for forest fires in 2015, with 18 'fires of note' currently burning, including several around the Vancouver, leaving the city wreathed in smoke. – Staff Writers
