KAMLOOPS – Effective at 12 p.m. (noon) on May 3, 2024, Category 3 open fires will be prohibited throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre. This prohibition is being enacted to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.
This prohibition will remain in effect until 12 p.m. (noon) PDT on Oct. 11, 2024, or until the order is rescinded. Anyone conducting Category 3 open fires within the Kamloops Fire Centre’s jurisdiction must extinguish those fires by the noon, May 3, 2024, deadline.
A map of the affected area is available online and below:
Specifically, this prohibition refers to the following activities:
“Category 3 open fire” which means an open fire that burns…
- material concurrently in three or more piles each not exceeding two metres in height and three metres in width;
- material in one or more piles each exceeding two metres in height or three metres in width;
- one or more windrows, each not exceeding 200 meters in length or 15 metres in width; or
- stubble or grass over an area exceeding 0.2 hectare.
These prohibitions apply to all public and private land within the Kamloops Fire Centre jurisdiction, unless specified otherwise in an enactment (e.g. in a local government bylaw). Before lighting a fire of any size, please check with your local jurisdiction (municipality, First Nations, etc.) as they may have their own restrictions in place.
This prohibition does not include Category 1 campfires or Category 2 open fires. Further information on the different types of open burning is available online.
Anyone found in contravention of an open burning prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $10,000 or, if convicted in court, 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 ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.
The Kamloops Fire Centre would like to thank the public for its continuing help in preventing wildfires. To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cell phone. For up-to-date information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, call 1 888 3-FOREST or visit: www.bcwildfire.ca
Follow the latest wildfire news:
- on the free BC Wildfire Service public mobile app, available for Apple (iOS) and Android devices
- on Twitter: twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo
- on Facebook: facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo
Contact:
Fire Information Officer
Kamloops Fire Centre
BC Wildfire Service
250 554-5965
Connect with the Province of B.C. at www.gov.bc.ca/connect