Campfire ban to be reintroduced in Kamloops, Coastal fire centres

Campfires will soon be banned again within the Kamloops and Coastal fire centres.

On Tuesday, the BC Wildfire Service announced that the bans will come back into force on Friday, July 7 at noon.

The ban is being re-introduced “to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety,” according to the wildfire service.

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In early June, BC Wildfire introduced a campfire ban for the region but rescinded it one week later due to cool, wet weather.

Now, though, hot weather is about to bake the Southern Interior. For the Okanagan, Environment Canada is projecting sunny skies and temperatures in the low 30s.

BC Wildfire says when the ban is reintroduced, it will remain in effect until Oct. 13 or until it’s rescinded – the same wording it also used in early June.

The Kamloops Fire Centre ban applies to all public and private land within the Kamloops Fire Centre jurisdiction unless specified otherwise by local government. For example, the City of Kelowna has a year-round ban on campfires.

The Coastal Fire Centre ban does not apply to the Haida Gwaii Forest District.

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Maps are available of the affected areas in the Kamloops Fire Centre and Coastal Fire Centre.

BC Wildfire says in addition to open fires being prohibited, the following activities and equipment are also restricted:

• Fireworks
• Sky Lanterns
• Burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description
• Binary exploding targets
• Air curtain burners
• Tiki and similar kinds of torches
• Chimineas

BC Wildfire says residents and visitors should always check with local government authorities to see if any other burning restrictions are in effect.

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Notably, the prohibition does not include outdoor stoves (charcoal briquettes, liquid fuel or gaseous fuel) that have flames less than 15 cm tall.

“Anyone found in contravention of an open burning prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $10,000 or, if convicted in court, fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to one year in jail,” said BC Wildfire.

“If the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.”

The province said wildfire prevention is a shared responsibility, and that human-caused wildfires are completely preventable and divert critical resources away from lightning-caused wildfires.

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