Campfires to be banned in Coastal Fire Centre
July 17, 2018
Effective at noon on Wednesday, July 18, 2018, all open burning (including campfires and Category 3 fires) will be prohibited within the Coastal Fire Centre's jurisdiction, with the exception of Haida Gwaii and the area known as the fog zone.
Category 2 open burning is already prohibited in the region. The additional prohibitions will help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety. They will remain in effect until Oct. 19, 2018, or until the public is otherwise notified. A map of the affected areas is available online at: http://ow.ly/j94230kZQgz
The Coastal Fire Centre is implementing these prohibitions due to high temperatures and no rain in the immediate forecast. Since April 1, 2018, 69% of wildfires in the Coastal Fire Centre have been caused by people. Human-caused wildfires are entirely preventable, and can divert critical firefighting resources away from naturally occurring wildfires.
These prohibitions apply to all public and private land, unless specified otherwise - for example, in a local government bylaw*. Please check with local government authorities for any other restrictions before lighting any fire.
* Open burning has been banned in the City of Courtenay since 2008
These prohibitions do not apply to CSA-rated or ULC-rated 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 centimetres.
The following activities are also prohibited:
- open fires that burn woody debris in outdoor stoves
- the use of stoves and other portable campfire apparatuses that are not CSA-approved or ULC-approved
- the use of tiki torches, fireworks, firecrackers, sky lanterns, chimineas, burning barrels or burning cages of any size or description
- the use of binary exploding targets (e.g. for rifle target practice)
Anyone found in contravention of an open burning 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 Coastal Fire Centre covers all of 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.
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, go to: bcwildfire.ca
Quick Fact:
* The fog zone is a two-kilometre strip of land along the outer coast of Vancouver Island, stretching from Owen Point (near Port Renfrew) north to the tip of Vancouver Island, and around to the boundary of the District of Port Hardy. This strip extends inland two kilometres from the high tide point.
Learn More:
A poster explaining the different categories of open burning is available online at: http://ow.ly/znny309kJv5
A map of the fog zone is available online at: http://ow.ly/bCJc30caIul