Most open burning activities will be prohibited in the province by the end of next week.
Jodie Lucius, a Fire Information Officer at the Provincial Wildfire Coordination Centre, says category two and three open fires will be prohibited as of noon on Thursday, April 16…
“So really what that is that anything larger than a campfire, and a campfire is defined as a fire that is under a half metre by a half metre, and then also being prohibited at the same time are the use of fireworks, sky lanterns, and burn barrels and burn cages and that is province-wide.”
Lucius says it is a little earlier than normal…
“There have been times in the past certainly where we’ve started to see these prohibitions in some areas at this time of the year, but it is a little bit earlier than normal and that really is the result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impacts that that could have on our staff, as well as the public.”
Lucius says the BC Wildfire Service is currently preparing for the wildfire season…
“They want to minimize the need to send firefighting staff out to unnecessary open fires that may turn into wildfires, and be strategic about the deployment of those resources just in case they do get to the point where they are limited.”
Lucius says they recognize that spring is a time when a lot of people are trying to do some backyard clean-up and things like that, and the idea of not being able to do open burning during that item can be a bit of a challenge.
But she says if people go to the BC FireSmart website, they will find a lot of suggestions there for activities that you can do to reduce the potential for a wildfire in and around your property that doesn’t include burning.
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