If you’ve been jonesing for a s’mores and guitar session by the campfire this summer, tonight’s your last chance to get your fix.
As the weather gets hotter and drier, a campfire ban will be taking effect in the areas within the BC Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction – this includes all Vancouver Island and the lower mainland area.
The ban is set to take effect starting 12 p.m. on Wednesday, July 18th, meaning all campfires and Category 3 fires will be prohibited until October 2018 (or until the public is otherwise notified).
Rules and exceptions
The prohibition doesn’t apply to Haida Gwaii and the area known as the fog zone.
It also is not applicable to CSA-rated or ULC-rated cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes, or to a portable campfire apparatus that uses briquettes, liquid or gaseous fuel, as long as the height of the flame is less than 15 centimetres – so you’re still good to cook while camping this summer.
They do, however, apply to both public and private land unless otherwise specified in a local government bylaw.
Anyone found in violation of the open burning prohibition could be issued a ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of $10,000 or, if convicted in court, fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to a year in jail.
If the violation causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may also be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.
This animation shows how recent hot and dry weather patterns have led to increased #BCwildfire danger ratings across #BC.
Many areas are now at a HIGH fire danger rating, so please do your part to prevent unnecessary human-caused fires when you're outdoors! pic.twitter.com/UK41UlgFOp
— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) July 17, 2018