Effective at noon today (Aug. 26) the campfire ban in the Coastal Fire Centre was rescinded due to a decreased risk of wildfires. Campfires now will be permitted throughout the Coastal Fire Centre.
The public is reminded that campfires cannot be larger than a half-metre high by a half-metre wide. Anyone who lights a campfire must have a hand tool (such as a shovel) or at least eight litres of water available to fully extinguish it. Never leave a campfire unattended and make sure that the ashes are completely cold to the touch before leaving the area.
Category three open fires are permitted throughout the Coastal Fire Centre jurisdictional area. A Category three open fire is a fire that burns material in piles larger than two metres high by three metres wide, windrows or grass over an area larger than 2,000 square metres.
Any person lighting a Category three open fire in the Coastal Fire Centre must comply with burning regulations and must first obtain a burn registration number by calling 1-888-797-1717.
The Coastal Fire Centre covers all of the area west of the height of land on the Coast Mountain Range north of 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.
The open-burning 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.
To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or non-compliant open burning, call 1-800-663-5555 toll-free or dial *5555 on a cell phone.
For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, visit the Wildfire Management Branch website: www.bcwildfire.ca.
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