A Category 1 campfire ban will take effect across the Fernie area at 1 p.m. on Thursday, July 23.
The prohibition covers the Southeast Fire Centre, including the Rocky Mountain Natural Resource District around Fernie, the Elk Valley and South Country, as well as the Selkirk Natural Resource District.
The BC Wildfire Service is implementing the ban to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires and protect public safety as fire activity increases throughout the region.
Anyone with a campfire burning within the affected area must fully extinguish it before the 1 p.m. deadline on Thursday.
The prohibition is scheduled to remain in effect until 12 noon Pacific Time on October 31, 2026, or until it is rescinded.
A Category 1 campfire is a fire that:
• Is no larger than 0.5 metres high and 0.5 metres wide
• Is used for recreation or by a First Nation for ceremonial purposes
• Other Prohibited Activities
The prohibition also includes:
• Air curtain burners
• Carbonizers
• Fireworks
• Binary exploding targets
• Burn barrels and burn cages of any size
• Controlled-air incinerators
• Sky lanterns
• Wood-fired hot tubs
• Wood-fired pizza ovens
• Other wood-fired devices unless they are vented through a flue incorporated into a building
Category 2 open fires have already been prohibited in the Southeast Fire Centre since July 10, while Category 3 open fires have been prohibited since May 21.
The prohibition does not include approved outdoor stoves.
An outdoor stove must be CSA-rated or ULC-rated, used outdoors for cooking, heat or ambiance, and burn charcoal briquettes, liquid fuel or gaseous fuel. Its flame must be less than 15 centimetres high.
The BC Wildfire Service prohibition applies throughout regional district areas and to provincial parks, recreation sites, recreation trails, ecological reserves, wildlife management areas and private managed forest land within municipal boundaries.
Municipalities may impose their own restrictions, and residents within the City of Fernie should follow any additional directions issued by the City.
To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open-burning violation, call 1-800-663-5555, dial *5555 from a cellphone.
