Campfires will soon be banned throughout the Cariboo Fire Centre.
The BC Wildfire Service issued a release on Monday, July 20, stating that Category 1 campfires and associated activities will be prohibited in the Cariboo-Chilcotin Natural Resource District, the 100 Mile House Natural Resource District and the Quesnel Natural Resource District, starting at noon, 12 p.m., on Wednesday, July 22.
The campfire ban also includes the Tsilhqot’in Declared Title Area.
Category 1 campfires include the following equipment and activities:
- Sky Lanterns
- Wood-fired hot tubs, wood-fired pizza ovens and other wood-fired devices unless vented through a structure that has a flue and is incorporated in a building.
Open burning on the following types of land within municipal boundaries:
- Parks, conservancies and recreation areas
- Recreation sites, recreation trails, interpretive forest sites and trail-based recreation areas
- Ecological reserves
- Wildlife management areas
- And private managed forest land.
The Wildfire Service’s news release says factors that go into the decision to impose a prohibition include the level of fire activity within the region, the availability of firefighting resources, fire danger ratings, the weather, the potential for lightning, and the risk of human-caused fires.
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 for up to one year in jail.
A resident’s fire could face a fine up to $1 million or be sentenced up to three years in jail if their campfire causes or contributes to a wildfire. They may also be responsible for all firefighting and associated costs, as well.
For the latest information on current wildfire activity, visit the BC Wildfire Service’s website, the BC Wildfire Map, or the BC Wildfire app.
To report an unattended campfire or open burning violations, call the RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277.
Something going on in the Cariboo you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing cariboonews@vistaradio.ca.
