The Pender Harbour Fire Department has ordered a campfire ban and complete open burning prohibition for the Pender Fire Protection District.
The ban was set to go into force at noon June 28.
As of Friday morning there were four active wildfires in the Pender Harbour area. The largest, the Cecil Hill fire which started June 24, is now being held by BC Wildfire Service crews at nine hectares.
A Wednesday night lightning storm sparked two fires on Nelson Island, including one at Quarry Lake, which is now 5.44 hectares, as well as fires at Klein Lake and Sakinaw Lake.
A 20-person crew and two helicopters are working to contain the Quarry Lake fire. The other fire on Nelson Island was extinguished by people on the scene.
The fires at Klein Lake and Sakinaw Lake are both 0.01 hectares.
As of 11 a.m. Friday, the Wildfire Service had the Klein Lake fire listed as “being held” with a helicopter continuing water drops.
The Sakinaw Lake fire is in steep terrain and a ground crew was due to be working at the scene on Friday.
Recent rainfall has dropped the wildfire danger rating to low for the time being. The Coastal Fire Centre has not yet imposed a campfire ban and said Friday that it did not expect to put one in place for the Canada Day weekend.
Coastal Fire Centre regulations apply to areas outside the jurisdiction of municipalities and local fire departments, and the SCRD told Coast Reporter last week that its fire departments would follow the Coastal Fire Centre’s lead when it comes to the timing of a campfire ban.
A full campfire ban, including beach fires above and below the high water mark, has been in place in Sechelt since June 20.
The Town of Gibsons bans all outdoor burning, including campfires and beach fires, all year round.
