Coastal Fire Centre Enacts Campfire Prohibition
PARKSVILLE – Effective at noon Pacific Daylight Time on Thursday, August 04, 2022, campfires will be prohibited throughout the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction, except the Haida Gwaii Forest District. This prohibition is being enacted to help reduce wildfire risk and protect public safety.
This prohibition covers all BC Parks, Crown lands and private lands within the Coastal Fire Centre, unless specified otherwise (e.g., in a local government bylaw). Campfires will still be allowed in Haida Gwaii.
The prohibition does not apply within the boundaries of a local government that has wildfire prevention bylaws in place and is serviced by a fire department. However, we ask the public to check with local government authorities to ensure they are following local bylaws before lighting any fire.
This prohibition will be in place until October 28, 2022, or until the order is rescinded.
A map of the affected areas is available online: http://ow.ly/ZEvh30spkOI
With the enactment of this prohibition, no campfires (except Haida Gwaii); category 2, or category 3 open fires are allowed within the Coastal Fire Centre. The category 2 and 3 prohibition (which includes backyard and industrial burning) was enacted on July 15, 2022. Also prohibited in all areas of the Coastal Fire Centre are the following activities (Wildfire Act, Section 12):
- Fireworks;
- Sky Lanterns;
- Binary Exploding Targets;
- Burn Barrels or Burn Cages of any size or description; and,
- Air Curtain Burners
The campfire prohibition does not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes, or portable campfire devices that use briquettes, liquid, or gaseous fuel, provided they are CSA or ULC approved, and the height of the flame is less than 15 centimetres.
A poster explaining the different categories of open burning is available online: openburningregs_2022update.pdf
Anyone who lights, fuels or uses an open fire when a fire prohibition is in place or fails to comply with an open fire prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150 or, if convicted in court, 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 subject to a penalty of up to $100,000 and ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.
The Coastal Fire Centre covers all the area west of the height of land on the Coast Mountain Range from 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.
To report a wildfire, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cell phone. For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, go to: http://www.bcwildfire.ca
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