Category 2 fire ban, effective May 27

May 26, 2015

Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Wildfire Management Branch

INFORMATION BULLETIN

Open fires to be restricted in Coastal Fire Centre

PARKSVILLE - Effective at noon on Wednesday, May 27, 2015, Category 2 open fires will be prohibited in the Coastal Fire Centre's jurisdiction to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.

This prohibition will remain in effect until Oct. 16, 2015, or the public is otherwise notified.

This prohibition covers all BC Parks, Crown lands and private lands within the Coastal Fire Centre, with the exception of the area known as the "Fog Zone" and Haida Gwaii. It does not apply within the boundaries of a local government that has wildfire prevention bylaws in place and is serviced by a fire department. Before lighting any fire, residents should contact local authorities to check if any other restrictions are in place.

A map of the affected area is available online at: http://bit.ly/1HIOlOb

Specifically, this Category 2 open fire prohibition applies to:

* The burning of any material (piled or unpiled) smaller than two metres in height and three metres in width.

* The burning of stubble or grass fires over an area less than 2,000 square metres.

* The use of 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).

This order does not prohibit campfires that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide or smaller, or apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes.

People lighting a campfire must maintain a fireguard by removing flammable debris from around the campfire area and they must have a hand tool or at least eight litres of water available nearby to properly extinguish the fire. Make sure that your fire is completely extinguished and the ashes are cold to the touch before you leave the area for any length of time.

Any person lighting larger Category 3 fires (or more than two fires of any size) must comply with open burning regulations and must first obtain a burn registration number by calling 1 888 797-1717.

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 $345 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 $10,000 and ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.

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.