The dry hot weather has prompted the Coastal Fire Centre to issue a ban on all open burning (including campfires, category two open fires and category three open fires).
The ban goes into effect at noon on Thursday, July 17 and will remain in place until Oct. 15, or until the public is notified that it has been rescinded.
The fire danger rating is currently “high” throughout most of the Coastal Fire Centre, with scattered pockets of “extreme.”
A map of the areas affected by the prohibition is available on-line at: http://bit.ly/1yov78I.
This prohibition applies to campfires and open burning of any size or description, including fires with a burn registration number and industrial burning. The use of fireworks, burning barrels, tiki torches and sky lanterns is also not permitted.
The prohibition does 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, as long as the height of the flame is less than 15 centimetres.
This prohibition covers all BC Parks, Crown lands and private lands, but does not apply within the boundaries of local governments that have forest fire prevention bylaws and are serviced by fire departments. Please check with local governments for any other restrictions before lighting a fire.
The Coastal Fire Centre covers the area west of the height of land on the Coast Mountain Range from the U.S.-Canada border at Manning Park, including South Tweedsmuir Park in the north, the Sunshine Coast, the Lower Mainland, all of Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and Haida Gwaii.
To report a wildfire or unattended campfire, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cell phone.
