WILLIAMS LAKE – Effective at 12:00 p.m. (noon) Pacific Daylight Time on Thursday, June 8, 2023, Category 1 campfires will be prohibited throughout the Cariboo Fire Centre and the Tsilhqot’in (Xeni Gwet’in) Declared Title Area. This prohibition will remain in effect until 12:00 p.m. (noon) on October 27, 2023, or until the order is rescinded.
A Category 1 campfire is defined as any fire smaller than 0.5 metres high by 0.5 metres wide.
Camping is a long-standing tradition in this province. The Cariboo Fire Centre recognizes that members of the community enjoy having campfires, and so takes any decision to implement a campfire ban very seriously. The BC Wildfire Service is constantly monitoring current and forecast conditions and maintaining preparedness.
In addition to Category 1 campfires, Category 2, and Category 3 open fires, the following activities remain prohibited:
- Fireworks
- Sky lanterns
- Burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description
- Binary exploding targets
- Tiki and similar kinds of torches
- Chimineas
- Air curtain burners
This prohibition does not include the use of outdoor stoves. As per the Wildfire Regulation, an outdoor stove is a CSA-rated or ULC-rated device used outdoors for cooking, heat or ambiance that burns charcoal briquettes, liquid fuel or gaseous fuel, and has a flame height that is less than 15 cm tall. The use of a campfire apparatus that does not meet these specifications is prohibited.