Despite open burning bans in the Coastal Fire Centre the BC Wildfire Service continues to receive reports of the bans being ignored by the public.
Between July 15 and 17 more than 50 illegal campfires were reported to the Coastal Fire Centre. Enforcement is being stepped up with increased patrols by both the Compliance and Enforcement Branch and the Conservation Officers Service. RCMP officers are also authorized to issue violation tickets under the Wildfire Act and Wildfire Regulation.
All open fires are banned including open fires of woody debris in outdoor stoves, tiki torches, 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).
The fire ban does not apply to CSA-rated or ULC-rated cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes, or to a portable campfire apparatus that uses briquettes, liquid or gaseous fuel, so long as the height of the flame is less than 15 cm.
Anyone who lights, fuels or uses an open fire when a fire prohibition is in place or fails to comply with an open fire prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150 or, if convicted in court, be 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 subject to a penalty of up to $100,000 and ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.
For more information on fire-related fines and penalties, visit: http://ow.ly/ZX8x30dKPLw.
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 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 visit: www.bcwildfire.ca.
