The BC Wildfire Service will rescind its Category 2 open fire prohibition in Haida Gwaii effective at noon on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019.

However, the prohibition on Category 2 open fires will remain in place elsewhere within the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction. A map of the affected areas is available online: http://ow.ly/b4Ma30pqxas

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

Specifically, the Category 2 prohibition applies to:

• the open burning of any material (piled or unpiled) smaller than two metres high and three metres wide;
• stubble or grass fires over an area smaller than 2,000 square metres;
• the use of tiki torches, fireworks, firecrackers, sky lanterns, burning barrels or burning cages of any size or description; and
• the use of binary exploding targets (e.g., for rifle target practice).

The prohibition does not apply to larger Category 3 fires, campfires that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide or smaller, or cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes. A poster explaining the different categories of open burning is available online: www.gov.bc.ca/openfireregs

Anyone found in contravention of an open burning prohibition may be issued a 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, as well as the value of resources damaged or destroyed by the wildfire.

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, 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 

Follow the latest wildfire news:

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