Effective at 4 p.m. (Pacific time) on Friday, June 22, 2018, any open burns larger than a campfire will be prohibited throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre’s jurisdiction, to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect the public.

Anyone conducting Category 2 or Category 3 open burns at elevations above 1,200 metres — which is currently permitted within the Kamloops Fire Centre — must extinguish those fires by noon on June 22. These types of open burns are already prohibited at elevations below 1,200 metres.

This prohibition will remain in effect until Oct. 15, 2018, or until the public is otherwise notified. A map of the affected areas is available online at: http://ow.ly/cuRN30kBP70

This prohibition does not ban campfires that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide (or smaller), and does not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes. A poster explaining the different categories of open burning is available online at: http://ow.ly/znny309kJv5

Prohibited activities will also include the use of:

• fireworks (including firecrackers)
• sky lanterns
• burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description
• binary exploding targets (pre-packaged or homemade explosives, such as Tannerite, Thundershot, Gryphon, Firebird SS65, Sure Shot or similar products)
• tiki torches and similar kinds of torches

This prohibition applies to all public and private land unless specified otherwise (for example, in a local government bylaw). Please check with local government authorities for any other restrictions before lighting any fire.

Anyone found in contravention of an open fire 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 Kamloops Fire Centre would like to thank the public for its continuing help in preventing wildfires. 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  

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