Effective at noon on Thursday, June 29, 2017, campfires will be prohibited in parts of the Cariboo Fire Centre’s jurisdiction to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.

Campfires will be banned in the Cariboo-Chilcotin Forest District west of the Fraser River and also throughout Itcha Ilgachuz Provincial Park. The use of tiki torches and chimineas will also be banned in these areas as of noon on June 29.

However, the use of campfires, tiki torches and chimineas will still be allowed in the remainder of the Cariboo Fire Centre. A map showing the affected areas is available online: http://ow.ly/u8el30cWFTd

The Cariboo Fire Centre is currently experiencing dry conditions and elevated fire danger ratings. The fire danger ratings are generally “high” to “extreme”, with a small pocket of “moderate” in the far northeast corner of the fire centre. In the areas where campfires will be banned as of noon on June 29, the fire danger rating is primarily “extreme”.

Category 2 and Category 3 open burns are already prohibited throughout the Cariboo Fire Centre. Specifically, these prohibited activities include:

• the burning of any waste, slash or other materials.
• stubble or grass fires of any size over any area.
• the use of fireworks.
• the use of sky lanterns, burning barrels or burning cages of any size or description.
• the use of binary exploding targets (e.g. for target practice).

As of noon on June 29, the use of air curtain burners (forced-air burning systems) will also be prohibited throughout the Cariboo Fire Centre.

These prohibitions do not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes, or to a portable campfire apparatus with a CSA or ULC rating that uses briquettes, liquid or gaseous fuel, so long as the height of the flame is less than 15 centimetres. The use of a campfire apparatus that does not meet these specifications is prohibited.

These prohibitions apply to all BC Parks, Crown lands and private lands, but do 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 to see if any other burning restrictions or fire bylaws are in place before lighting any fire.

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

The Cariboo Fire Centre stretches from Loon Lake (near Clinton) in the south to the Cottonwood River (near Quesnel) in the north and from Tweedsmuir Provincial Park in the west to Wells Gray Provincial Park in the east.

To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cellphone.

For up-to-date information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, call 1 888 3-FOREST or visit: www.bcwildfire.ca

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