Cariboo Fire Centre to extend open burning prohibition



WILLIAMS LAKE – The BC Wildfire Service will be extending the Category 2 and 3 open fire prohibition throughout the Cariboo Fire Centre’s jurisdiction and the Tsilhqot’in (Xeni Gwet’in) Declared Title Area that was set to expire on Oct. 1, 2022.

This prohibition, which is being implemented jointly with the Tsilhqot’in (Xeni Gwet’in) Nation, is being done to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety due to continued unseasonably warm and dry conditions

The prohibition will continue to be in effect until noon on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, or until the public is otherwise notified.

A map of the affected areas is available online at: http://ow.ly/5kzW50KXx71

This prohibition does not apply to campfires that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide and does not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes. A poster explaining the different categories of open burning is available online at: http://ow.ly/znny309kJv5

Specifically, prohibited activities will include:

  • Category 2 open fires;
  • Category 3 open fires;
  • The use of Fireworks, including firecrackers; and
  • Sky Lanterns;
  • Tiki Torches;
  • Air Curtain Burners;
  • Binary Exploding Targets;
  • Burn Barrels or Burn Cages of any size or description.

A Category 2 fire is an open fire that burns material in one to two piles, each no larger than two metres in height and three metres in width, or burning grass over an area less than 0.2 hectares.

A Category 3 fire is defined as an open fire larger than two metres by three metres, burning three or more piles smaller than two by three metres, or burning an area of grass or stubble over an area greater than 0.2 hectares.

To learn more about different open burning categories, visit: http://ow.ly/jXF550KYYgt.

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, as well as the value of resources damaged or destroyed by the wildfire.

The Cariboo Fire Centre stretches from Loon Lake near Clinton in the south to the Cottonwood River near Quesnel in the north, and from Tweedsmuir Provincial Park in the west to Wells Gray Provincial Park in the east.

To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cellphone. For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, visit www.bcwildfire.ca

You can follow the latest wildfire news on:

Contact:

Fire Information Officer
BC Wildfire Service
Cariboo Fire Centre
(778) 799-2100
Connect with the Province of B.C. at www.gov.bc.ca/connect