A Category 2 open fire prohibition will take effect across the Southeast Fire Centre at 1 p.m. Mountain Time on Friday, July 10, including Fernie and the surrounding Elk Valley.

Anyone conducting Category 2 open fires within the Southeast Fire Centre’s jurisdiction must extinguish those fires before the deadline. The prohibition will remain in place until 1 p.m. Mountain Time on October 31, 2026, or until the order is rescinded.

The prohibition does not include Category 1 campfires. Residents and visitors should still check local rules before lighting any fire, as municipalities, regional districts, improvement districts, BC Parks and recreation sites may have additional restrictions in place.

A Category 2 open fire includes fires that burn material in one pile not exceeding two metres in height and three metres in width, material concurrently in two piles of the same maximum size, or stubble or grass over an area not exceeding 0.2 hectares.

The prohibition also applies to several activities and types of equipment, including air curtain burners, carbonizers, fireworks, binary exploding targets, burn barrels, burn cages and controlled air incinerators.

Category 3 open fires have already been prohibited throughout the Southeast Fire Centre since May 21, 2026. Category 3 fires include larger pile burns, three or more concurrent piles, windrows and stubble or grass fires over an area greater than 0.2 hectares.

The order applies to all areas in the Southeast Fire Centre outside municipal boundaries. It also applies to parks, conservancies, recreation areas, recreation sites, recreation trails, interpretive forest sites, ecological reserves, wildlife management areas and private managed forest land within municipal boundaries.

Anyone found in contravention of an open fire prohibition may be issued a $1,150 ticket, required to pay an administrative penalty of $10,000 or, if convicted in court, fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to up to one year in jail.

If a fire causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be fined up to $1 million and/or sentenced to up to three years in jail, and may also be responsible for all firefighting and associated costs.

To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, call *5555 from a cell phone or 1-800-663-5555 toll-free.