Category 2 and 3 open fire prohibitions coming into effect across the Cariboo Fire Centre



CARIBOO FIRE CENTRE – Effective at 12:00 noon (Pacific Daylight Time) on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, Category 2 and 3 open fires and associated activities will be prohibited across the entire Cariboo Fire Centre including the Tsilhqot’in (Xeni Gwet’in) Declared Title Area.

Prohibition Details

  • All Category 2 and 3 open fires must be fully extinguished by 12:00 noon on May 7.
  • The prohibitions will remain in place until 12:00 noon on October 31, 2025, or until the Orders are rescinded.
  • These prohibitions apply to the entire Cariboo Fire Centre including the Tsilhqot’in (Xeni Gwet’in) Declared Title Area, the Cariboo Chilcotin Forest District, the 100 Mile House Forest District and the Quesnel Forest District.
  • In addition, this prohibition applies to 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.
    • Private managed forest land.
  • The following activities and use of the following equipment, materials and substances will also be prohibited:
    • Binary exploding targets
    • Fireworks
    • Burn Barrels or Burn Cages
    • Controlled air incinerators
    • Air curtain burners
    • Carbonizers

Please view a map of the Prohibition Order areas below. A map is also available online.

Municipalities often follow BC Wildfire Service prohibitions or may impose different prohibitions based on conditions in their local area. If you are in a municipality, be sure to check if local prohibitions are in place. If you are within a regional district or improvement district, this prohibition applies as well as any local prohibition issued by the regional district or improvement district. BC Parks follows BC Wildfire Service prohibitions.

What is prohibited

  • A Category 3 open fire is a fire that burns:
    • Material concurrently in three or more piles, each not exceeding 2 metres in height and 3 metres in width.
    • Material in one or more piles each exceeding 2 metres in height or 3 metres in width.
    • One or more windrows each not exceeding 200 metres in length or 15 metres in width.
    • Stubble or grass over an area exceeding 0.2 hectares.
  • A Category 2 open fire is a fire, other than a category 1 campfire, that burns:
    • Material in one pile not exceeding 2 metres in height and 3 metres in width.
    • Material concurrently in two piles each not exceeding 2 metres in height and 3 metres in width.
    • Stubble or grass over an area that does not exceed 0.2 hectares.
  • This prohibition does not include Category 1 campfires that are 0.5 metres high by 0.5 metres wide or smaller.

Contributing Factors

  • Multiple factors are taken into consideration when assessing wildfire hazards and deciding whether to implement open fire prohibitions, including:
    • Drought conditions
    • Current and forecasted weather
    • Predicted wildfire behavior
    • Firefighting resource availability
  • The Cariboo region continues to experience significant drought conditions. We urge members of the public and industry to be extra vigilant when monitoring and in ensuring extinguishment of open burns.

Penalties

  • Anyone found in violation of an open burning prohibition may be fined for up to $1,150.
  • If your fire escapes and results in a wildfire, you may be fined up to $1 million, be sentenced up to 1 year in jail and be responsible for all fire fighting and associated costs.

The Cariboo Fire Centre would like to thank the public for their continued help in preventing wildfires.

To report a wildfire, dial *5555 on a cell phone or call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free. To report an unattended campfire or open burning violation, call the RAPP line on 1 877 952-7277.

You can also use the Report function in the BC Wildfire App to report a wildfire. Reporting though the app let’s you upload images and can be used without service.

For the latest information on current wildfire activity, prohibitions and restrictions, road closures, and air-quality advisories please visit BCWildfire.ca, the BC Wildfire Map, or use the BC Wildfire app.

Follow the latest wildfire news on:

Contact

Fire Information Officer

BC Wildfire Service | Cariboo Fire Centre

778 799-2100

CaFCInfo@gov.bc.ca

Connect with the Province of B.C. at www.gov.bc.ca/connect