Just in time for Canada Day: A province wide fire ban.
As of noon on Wednesday, June 30, 2021, campfires, Category 2 and Category 3 open fires will be prohibited throughout the province of British Columbia.
This means no more campfires.
The prohibition will remain in effect until noon on Oct. 15, 2021, or until the order is rescinded.
Considering the province is breaking temperature records and it’s only June, and with lower-than-average precipitation in the southern half of the province this spring, the ban is not unexpected.
These conditions are expected to persist in the coming weeks.
In addition to campfires, Category 2, and Category 3 open fires, the following activities are also prohibited:
* The use of fireworks
* The use of sky lanterns
* The use of burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description
* The use of binary exploding targets
* The use of tiki and similar kinds of torches
* The use of chimineas
* The use of outdoor stoves or other portable campfire apparatus without a Canadian Standards Association (CSA) or Underwriter Laboratories of Canada (ULC) rating
* The use of air curtain burners in Cariboo, Coastal, Northwest, Prince George and Southeast fire centres
Anyone found in contravention of an open-burning prohibition may be issued a violation ticket for $1,150, may be required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $10,000 or, if convicted in court, may be fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to one year in jail. If the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.
The FireSmart Begins at Home Manual was developed to help people reduce the risk of personal property damage due to wildfires. Download your copy here: https://firesmartbc.ca/resource-types/guides-manuals/
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
