Two separate campfires last weekend on properties in Madeira Park netted fines of over $1,000 each.
On July 23, RCMP assisted the Pender Harbour Volunteer Fire Department after a large campfire was reported at a residence in the 4800 block of Arthur Way.
“From the street, police could see the glow of the fire as well as sparks and embers floating into the trees,” Sunshine Coast RCMP said in the weekly Incident Report.
After entering the property, police found a large gathering of people and a log burning in an open brick fire pit.
A fire department member instructed the property owner on the current fire regulations banning all campfires, as well as the provincial state of emergency due to wildfires, and police gave him a violation ticket for failing to comply with a fire restriction under Section 10(4) of the Wildfire Act, which carries a fine of $1,150.
Late the next day, a witness reported a campfire in a driveway in the 11600 block of Highway 101.
On arriving, police “noted embers flying into the air in the heavily forested area and spoke with one of the males at the fire,” according to the Incident Report.
Police said the male claimed ignorance of the current campfire ban and provincial state of emergency. He was issued a violation ticket for failing to comply with fire restrictions, which carries a fine of $1,150, and told to completely extinguish the fire.
