Northwest Fire Centre to prohibit open burning Friday

The BC Wildfire Service will prohibit campfires, Category 2 open burns, and Category 3 open burns in the Northwest Fire Centr effective noon on Friday, August 3.

This is due to hot and dry conditions and an increased wildfire risk. The following will be prohibited:

• campfires;
• backyard and industrial burning (Category 2 and Category 3 open burns);
• use of outdoor stoves and other portable campfire apparatuses that are not CSA-approved or ULC-approved;
• use of fireworks, firecrackers, tiki torches, sky lanterns, chimineas, and burning barrels; and
• use of binary exploding targets

This does not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane, or briquettes, or to portable apparatuses with a CSA or ULC rating that use briquettes, liquid fuel, or gasoline fuel as long as the height of the flame is less than 15 centimetres. The prohibition applies to all public and private land unless otherwise specified.

Anyone found to go against the 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 offence causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.

There are currently 31 wildfires in the Northwest Fire Centre.