Effective at noon on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016, an existing prohibition on Category 2 open fires within the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction will be expanded to include Haida Gwaii.

The expanded Category 2 open burning prohibition will apply to the entire Coastal Fire Centre, with the exception of the “Fog Zone”. The Fog Zone is a band of land two kilometres wide that runs from Owen Point near Port Renfrew to the district boundary of Port Hardy.

This prohibition will help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety. It will remain in effect until Oct. 16, 2016, or until the public is otherwise notified. A map of the affected area is available online at: http://ow.ly/KRfq3034GP8

This Category 2 open burning prohibition covers all BC Parks, Crown lands and private lands within the Coastal Fire Centre, but does not apply within the boundaries of a local government that has forest fire prevention bylaws in place and is serviced by a fire department. Please check with local government authorities for any other restrictions before lighting any fire.

Specifically, this prohibition applies to:

• the burning of any material (piled or unpiled) smaller than two metres in height and three metres in width
• the burning of stubble or grass fires over an area less than 2,000 square metres
• 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)

This prohibition does not ban campfires that are smaller than a half-metre high by a half-metre wide, or apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes. People lighting a campfire must maintain a fireguard by removing flammable debris from the campfire area, and they must have a hand tool or at least eight litres of water available nearby to properly extinguish the fire. Never leave a campfire unattended.

Anyone wishing to light larger fires (or more than two fires of any size) must comply with open burning regulations and must first obtain a burn registration number by calling 1 888 797-1717.

A poster explaining the different categories of open burning is available online at: http://ow.ly/jdO5301kS32

Anyone found in contravention of an open burning prohibition may be issued a violation 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. If the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.

The Coastal Fire Centre covers all of the area west of the height of land on 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.

To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cellphone. For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, go to: http://www.bcwildfire.ca

You can also follow the latest wildfire news on:

• Twitter at: http://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo
• Facebook at: http://facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo