BC Wildfire Service is implementing a Category 1 campfire prohibition coming to Southeast Fire Centre Effective at at 1PM on Friday, July 12, 2024. Category 1 campfires will be prohibited throughout Fernie, the Elk Valley, South Country and the Southeast Fire Centre.
Category 2 fires were prohibited last week, the hot weather has escalated the fire hazard quickly and prompted the campfire ban.
In addition to open fires being prohibited, the following activities and equipment are also restricted:
• Fireworks;
• Sky lanterns;
• Burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description;
• Binary exploding targets;
• Air curtain burners;
• Tiki and similar kind of torches; and,
• Chimineas.
This prohibition does not include the use of outdoor stoves. As per the Wildfire Regulation, an outdoor stove is a CSA or ULC-rated device used outdoors for cooking, heat or ambiance that burns charcoal briquettes, liquid fuel or gaseous fuel, and has a flame height that is less than 15 centimetres tall.
This order will remain in force until 12:00 noon PDT on October 28, 2024, or until the Order is rescinded.
These prohibitions apply to all public and private land within the Southeast Fire Centre jurisdiction, unless specified otherwise in an enactment (e.g., in a local government bylaw.) Always check with local government authorities to see if any other burning restrictions are in effect.
Anyone found in contravention of an open fire prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of $10,000 or, if convicted in court, fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to one year in jail. If the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.
To learn more about the different categories of open burning, visit the Open Burning webpage.
The Southeast Fire Centre would like to thank the public for its continuing help in preventing wildfires. To report a wildfire, call 1-800-663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cell phone. For up-to-date information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, call 1-888-3-FOREST or visit: www.bcwildfire.ca
