Effective at noon on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017, campfires will once again be allowed in some areas of the Northwest Fire Centre: the Skeena Stikine Forest District (the Cassiar Fire Zone and Bulkley Fire Zone) and the Coast Mountain Forest District (the Skeena Fire Zone).

The combination of precipitation and a return to cooler, seasonal temperatures in northern and coastal portions of the Northwest Fire Centre has reduced the fire danger rating in most of these areas to “low” or “moderate”.

However, some parts of the Northwest Fire Centre remain dry and the wildfire risk in these areas is still high, so the campfire prohibition will remain in effect within the Nadina Forest District (the Nadina Fire Zone).

A map of the affected areas and their associated prohibitions is available online at: http://ow.ly/uFvC30eCNMl

In the Skeena Stikine Forest District (the Cassiar Fire Zone and Bulkley Fire Zone) and the Coast Mountain Forest District (the Skeena Fire Zone), the following activities will remain prohibited:

• Category 2 and Category 3 open fires
• the use of sky lanterns, binary exploding targets and burning barrels or burning cages of any size or description

In the Nadina Forest District (the Nadina Fire Zone), the following activities will remain prohibited:

• campfires
• Category 2 and Category 3 open fires
• the use of sky lanterns, binary exploding targets and burning barrels or burning cages of any size or description
• the use of tiki torches, fireworks and firecrackers
• the use of outdoor stoves
• the use of stoves and other portable campfire apparatuses that are not CSA-approved or ULC-approved

These prohibitions do not apply to CSA-rated or ULC-rated cooking stoves or portable campfire apparatuses that use briquettes, liquid or gaseous fuel, so long as the height of the flame is less than 15 centimetres.

These prohibitions cover 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 and is serviced by a fire department. Always check with local authorities to see if any other burning restrictions 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.

A poster explaining the different categories of open burning is available online: http://ow.ly/znny309kJv5

For more information on fire-related fines and penalties, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/wildfirefines

To report a wildfire 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, visit: http://www.bcwildfire.ca

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