The Coastal Fire Centre will impose a ban on Category 2 open burning starting at noon on May 30, although most of the Sunshine Coast is already under municipal or fire department bans.
Category 2 fires are the typical backyard burns consisting of piles up to two metres high and three metres wide, as well as burning “stubble or grass.”
The ban will also include “fireworks, firecrackers, sky lanterns, burning barrels or burning cages of any size or description,” and binary exploding targets which give off a flash when hit.
Although the Coastal Fire Centre ban takes effect Thursday, open burning is already banned throughout the Coast in areas under fire department jurisdiction or covered by municipal bylaws.
The Pender Harbour Fire Department issued an open burning ban on May 15 and the window for backyard burning in Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) areas B, D, E and F, the Egmont fire protection zone and shíshálh Nation lands ended April 15.
Backyard and land-clearing burns are prohibited year-round in Gibsons and Sechelt.
As of May 27, the wildfire danger was rated as moderate or low for most of the Sunshine Coast.
Campfires will still be allowed as long as they’re no bigger than a half a metre high and half a metre wide. Camp stoves using gas, propane or briquettes are also still permitted.
