Effective on October 8, 2025 the Category 2 open fire prohibition was rescinded throughout the Southeast Fire Centre’s jurisdiction. This includes Fernie, the Elk Valley and South Country.
Due to decreased wildfire risk, the following activities will once again be permitted throughout the Southeast Fire Centre:
• One to two concurrently burning piles no larger than two metres high by three metres wide
• Burning stubble or grass over an area less than 0.2 hectares
• Fireworks, as defined in the Fireworks Act of BC
• Binary exploding targets
• Burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description
• Controlled air incinerators
Please note: Category 3 open fire remains prohibited throughout the Southeast Fire Centre.
A Category 3 open fire is a fire that burns:
• Material concurrently in 3 or more piles, each not exceeding 2 metres in height and 3 metres in width
• Material in one or more piles, each exceeding 2 metres in height and 3 metres in width
• One or more windrows each not exceeding 200 metres in length or 15 metres in width
• Stubble or grass over an area exceeding 0.2 hectares
In addition to Category 3 open fires, the following equipment and activities are also prohibited:
• Air curtain burners
• Carbonizers
Open fire prohibitions apply to all areas in the Southeast Fire Centre that are outside of municipal boundaries.
Prohibitions apply to the following types of land within municipal boundaries:
• Parks, conservancies and recreation areas (Park Act)
• Recreation sites, recreation trails, interpretive forest sites and trail-based recreation areas (Forest and Range Practices Act)
• Ecological reserves (Ecological Reserve Act)
• Wildlife management areas (Wildlife Act)
• Private managed forest land (Private Managed Forest Land Act)
Prohibitions also apply to all lands in the Villages of Slocan and Silverton municipalities.
Municipalities often follow BC Wildfire Service prohibitions or may impose different prohibitions based on conditions in their local area. If you are in a municipality, be sure to check if local prohibitions are in place. If you are within a regional district or improvement district, this prohibition applies as well as any local prohibition issued by the regional district or improvement district. BC Parks follows BC Wildfire Service prohibitions.
You can find more information on prohibitions and restrictions within the Southeast Fire Centre here.
How to report a wildfire using the BC Wildfire Service app
