Campfire and open fire bans lifted in Coastal Fire area

UPDATE: As of noon on Sept. 1, campfires will once again be permitted throughout the Coastal Fire area.

Starting at noon Wednesday campfires will be prohibited through most of the Coastal Fire region.

The ban, which includes Category 3 open fires, excludes Haida Gwaii and the area known as the ‘Fog Zone’. The Fog Zone is a stretch of land two kilometres wide that runs from Owen Point near Port Renfrew to the district boundary of Port Hardy.

The Coastal Fire Centre covers all of the area west of 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.

The ban is being implemented due to increasing temperatures and no rain currently being forecasted for the Coast Fire region. The ban will remain in effect until Oct. 21 or the public is otherwise notified.

The following activities will not be allowed:

• campfires, as defined by the Wildfire Regulation (burning of woody debris)
• open fires (using woody debris) in an outdoor stove
• tiki torches
• the use of fireworks, firecrackers, sky lanterns, burning barrels or burning cages of any size or description
• the use of binary exploding targets (e.g. for rifle target practice)

Anyone found with an open fire may get 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 one year in jail.