A forest fire that’s forced thousands to flee their homes near Kelowna has rekindled memories of the firestorm that tore through the same area in August, 2003.

Several firefighting crews from Chilliwack were called in to help battle that blaze, which destroyed 239 homes and ate up nearly 62,000 acres of forest, fueled by hot, dry weather conditions - similar to those expected in the Fraser Valley later this week.

Chilliwack fire officials are asking campers here to be extra-cautious this week with campfires, even though there is no official ban as yet.

Ian Josephson, assistant fire chief in Chilliwack, said several campfires left burning along the Vedder River were put out by fire crews last weekend.

Even though the abandoned campfires were on gravel bars, he worried about such casual attitudes, if those people decide to move into forested areas.

“Any time you leave any fire alone out in the woods, it’s not a good thing,” he said.

But even in the city there are potential fire hazards during a hot, dry spell.

Flicking a cigarette into a pile of dry bark mulch around a home or an apartment can spark a fire dangerous to the residents - and to the firefighters called out to extinguish them.

“Sometimes, they’re more of a hazard to us,” Josephson said.

Chilliwack’s eastern hillsides, the Ryder Lake area and the Chilliwack River Valley are all areas of concern as the hot, dry weather continues.

The fire hazard rating is “high” in most of the Chilliwack Forest District, including the Fraser Valley and Fraser Canyon, and “extremely high” in pockets around Squamish and Whistler.

There is no campfire ban in place yet, Mike McCulley, information officer at the Coastal Fire Centre, said Monday, “but there might be as soon as Thursday.”

The hot, dry weather is expected to continue with “no significant precipitation” over the next two weeks, he said.

Abandoned campfires are a “significant problem,” he said, so “now is a good time for people to be cautious out there.”

Causing a forest fire can result in provincial fines up $100,000, and a jail term up to 14 years, if criminal charges are laid.

The cause of the fire raging in Kelowna is still under investigation, but it’s believed to be man-made.

The main fire started Saturday afternoon as a 15-hectare blaze in Glen Rosa, and grew dramatically to 400 hectares Sunday, jumping Highway 97 and moving eastward toward Okanagan Lake.

The fire was 40 percent contained at press time Monday. No Chilliwack firefighters have been asked to assist as they were in 2003.

Anyone who spots a forest fire in the Chilliwack area should immediately call 1-800-663-5555, or on a cell phone, press the star button followed by 5555.

rfreeman@theprogress.com