Current Coastal fire bans and restrictions
Category 2 and 3 open fires are prohibited throughout the Coastal Fire Centre. This prohibition came into effect on July 15, 2022, to help prevent human caused wildfires and protect public safety.
Please find below an Information Bulletin from the Coastal Fire Centre regarding this open fire ban. The release provides details, along with a link to the map of the Coastal Fire Centre jurisdictional area.
Open fire prohibition scheduled for Coastal Fire Centre
| 7/13/2022 9:38 AM |
| PARKSVILLE — Effective at noon Pacific Daylight Time on Friday, July 15, 2022, 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, including Haida Gwaii. This prohibition will be in place until October 28, 2022, or until the order is rescinded. A map of the affected areas is available online: http://ow.ly/8ktb30snWOQ This prohibition applies to all public and private land, unless specified otherwise (e.g., in a local Specifically, this prohibition refers to the following activities: “category 2 open fire” which means an open fire, other than a campfire, that a) burns material in one pile not exceeding 2 m in height and 3 m in width, “category 3 open fire” which means an open fire that burns a) material concurrently in 3 or more piles each not exceeding 2 m in height and 3 m in width, Also prohibited are the activities listed below (Wildfire Act, Section 12): This prohibition does not apply to campfires that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide or smaller, or to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes. More information explaining the different categories of open burning is available online here. 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. People can follow the latest wildfire news: Contact: Fire Information Officer Connect with the Province of B.C. at www.gov.bc.ca/connect. |
