At 11 am on Friday, May 17, 2024, Category 3 fire prohibitions will be in effect throughout the Southeast Fire Centre, which includes Fernie, the Elk Valley and South Country.

The BC Wildfire Service is implementing the Category 3 fire prohibitions to help prevent wildfires caused by Category 3 open burning and to protect public safety. This prohibition will remain in place until 12 p.m. (noon) PDT on October 28, 2024, or until the Order is rescinded.

Anyone conducting Category 3 open fires within the Southeast Fire Centre’s jurisdiction must extinguish those fires by the Friday, May 17, 2024, deadline.

The Southeast Fire Centre extends from the U.S. border to Mica Dam and from the Okanagan Highlands/west side of the Monashee Mountains to the B.C./Alberta border. A map ops the Southeast Fire Centre and the areas affected by the prohibition is above.

A Category 3 open fire prohibition restricts the use of open fire that burns:
• material concurrently in 3 or more piles each not exceeding 2 m in height and 3 m in width;
• material in one or more piles each exceeding 2 m in height or 3 m in width;
• one or more windrows, each not exceeding 200 m in length or 15 m in width; or stubble or grass over an area exceeding 0.2 ha.

This prohibition does not include Category 1 campfires or Category 2 open fires. Further information on the different types of open burning is available online.

This prohibition applies to all public and private land, unless specified otherwise (e.g. in a local government bylaw). Check with local government authorities for any other restrictions before lighting any fire.

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.

The Southeast Fire Centre would like to thank the public for its continued help in preventing wildfires. To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cellphone. For up-to-date information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air-quality advisories, visit: bcwildfire.ca.