Effective at noon May 17, most open burning activities will be prohibited throughout the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction, which includes the qathet region. This prohibition is being enacted to help reduce wildfire risk and protect public safety, according to a Coastal Fire Centre media release.
Category two and category three open fires will be prohibited throughout the jurisdiction. This prohibition will be in place until October 31, or until the order is otherwise rescinded.
A map of the affected areas is available online: https://ow.ly/xuTc50REHCJ.
According to the release, this prohibition applies to all public and private land, unless specified otherwise, for example, in a local government bylaw. Residents are asked to check with local government authorities for any other restrictions before lighting any fire.
Specifically, the category two prohibition refers to the following activities: open fire, other than a category one campfire, that burns material in one pile not exceeding two metres in height and three metres in width; burning material concurrently in two piles each not exceeding two metres in height and three metres in width; or burning stubble or grass over an area that does not exceed 0.2 hectares.
The category three prohibition open fire means a fire that burns: material concurrently in three or more piles each not exceeding two metres in height and three metres in width; material in one or more piles each exceeding two metres in height or three metres in width, one or more windrows, each not exceeding 200 metres in length or 15 metres in width; or stubble or grass over an area exceeding 0.2 hectares.
Also prohibited are fireworks; sky lanterns; binary exploding targets; burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description; and air curtain burners.
The release stated that this prohibition does not apply to category one campfires that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide or smaller, or to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes.
The release stated that anyone lighting a campfire must maintain a fireguard by removing flammable debris from around the campfire area and have a hand tool or at least eight litres of water available nearby to properly extinguish the fire.
Coastal Fire Centre covers all the area west of the height of land on the Coast Mountain Range from the United States to the 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 release stated that anyone found in contravention of an open fire prohibition may be issued a violation 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. If the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs, according to the release.
To report a wildfire, unattended campfire, or open fire violation, 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: bcwildfire.ca.
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