Hot and dry conditions have triggered a campfire ban for Kamloops Fire Centre that takes effect at noon this coming Thursday.
The campfire ban covers both public and private land in the area between Blue River in the north to the U.S. border in the south, and from Bridge River in the west to Monashee Mountains in the east, including the Southern Okanagan and the Lytton and Lillooet area. The ban will remain in effect until noon on Oct. 15, or until the orders are rescinded.
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“The Kamloops Fire Centre is currently experiencing hot and dry conditions and fire danger ratings are generally ‘high’ or ‘extreme’ throughout the fire centre,” reads the update.
In addition to campfires, the ban will also cover fireworks, sky lanterns, burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description, binary exploding targets, tiki and similar kinds of torches, chimineas, outdoor stoves and other portable campfire gear that is not CSA or ULC approved.
Category 2 and Category 3 open fires and Section 12 equipment and activities are already prohibited throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre.
Anyone breaking the fire ban could face a ticket of $1,150, be required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $10,000, 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 ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.
There are currently 28 fires burning in the Kamloops Fire Centre, and 11 of those were started in the last two days. According to the BC Wildfire Service 53.6 per cent of the fires were caused by lightning while the cause remains unknown on 42.9 per cent.
To keep up to date with current fire activity, the B.C. Wildfire Service has an interactive map that is constantly updated.