Fire ban

 

Open fire prohibition scheduled for Coastal Fire Centre

May 16, 2023 

PARKSVILLE – Effective at noon Pacific Daylight Time on Thursday, May 18, 2023, most open burning activities will be prohibited throughout the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction. This prohibition is being enacted to help reduce wildfire risk and protect public safety.

Category 2 and Category 3 open fires will be prohibited throughout the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction, with the exception of Haida Gwaii. This prohibition will be in place until October 31, 2023, or until the order is rescinded.

A map of the affected area is available here.

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

Specifically, this prohibition refers to the following activities:

“category 2 open fire” which means an open fire, other than a category 1 campfire, that

• burns material in one pile not exceeding 2 m in height and 3 m in width,
• burns material concurrently in 2 piles each not exceeding 2 m in height and 3 m in width, or
• burns stubble or grass over an area that does not exceed 0.2 ha.

“category 3 open fire” which means an 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,
• stubble or grass over an area exceeding 0.2 ha.

Also prohibited are the activities listed below (Wildfire Act, Section 12):

• Fireworks;
• Sky lanterns;
• Binary exploding targets;
• Burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description; and,
• Air curtain burners.

This prohibition does not apply to Category 1 open fires (campfires) that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide or smaller, or to cooking stoves that use gas, propane, or briquettes.

Anyone lighting a campfire must maintain a fireguard by removing flammable debris from around the campfire area and have a hand tool or at least eight litres of water available nearby to properly extinguish the fire.

The Coastal Fire Centre covers all the area west of the height of land on the Coast Mountain Range from the U.S.-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. 

Anyone found in contravention of an open fire prohibition may be issued a violation ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $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.

To report a wildfire, unattended campfire, or open fire violation, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cell phone. For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, go to: http://www.bcwildfire.ca 

Follow the latest wildfire news

• on the free BC Wildfire Service public mobile app, available for Apple (iOS) and Android devices
• on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo
• on Facebook: http://facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo

Contact:

Fire Information Officer
Coastal Fire Centre
BC Wildfire Service
250 951-4209