Campfire ban comes into effect for BC's South Coast

Rising temperatures and continuing dry weather have led to a fire ban on BC’s South Coast.

The ban, which comes into effect Thursday at noon, prohibits all open fires (including campfires) throughout the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction.

“The Coastal Fire Centre is implementing this prohibition due to increasing temperatures and no precipitation in the weather forecast,” said BC Wildfire Service in a release. “This prohibition will remain in effect until Oct. 21, 2017 or until the public is otherwise notified.”

The prohibition covers all BC Parks, Crown lands, and private lands within the Coastal Fire Centre.

As a result of the ban, the following activities are prohibited within the specified area:

• campfires
• Category 2 open fires
• Category 3 open fires
• fires burning woody debris in outdoor stoves
• the use of tiki torches, fireworks, firecrackers, sky lanterns, burning barrels or burning cages of any size or description
• the use of binary exploding targets (e.g. for rifle target practice)

This prohibition doesn’t apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes, or to a portable campfire apparatus that uses briquettes, liquid or gaseous fuel – so long as the height of the flame is less than 15 cm.

Anyone found disobeying the burning prohibition may be issued a violation 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 a person disobeying the ban is found to cause – or contribute – to a wildfire, the person responsible may be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.

The Coastal Fire Centre covers all of the area west of the height of land on the Coast Mountain Range from the US-Canada border at Manning Park, including Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park in the north, the Sunshine Coast, the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and Haida Gwaii.

To report a wildfire or open burning violation, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cellphone.

For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, visit bcwildfire.ca.