Campfires to be prohibited throughout the Northwest Fire Centre



SMITHERS – Due to current conditions and to protect public safety, a Category 1 campfire prohibition will be put into effect for the Skeena zone. Effective at 3 p.m. PDT on Monday, July 10, 2023, Category 1 campfires will be prohibited in the Skeena zone and throughout the Northwest Fire Centre.

This campfire prohibition will remain in effect until 12 p.m. (noon) PDT on September 30, 2023, or until the orders are rescinded.

A map of affected areas is available online.

On July 10, 2023, the following open fires are prohibited in the Northwest Fire Centre as defined in Wildfire Regulation:

  • Category 1 campfires
  • Category 2 open fire
  • Category 3 open fire

In addition to open fires being prohibited, the following activities and equipment are also restricted:

  • Fireworks, including firecrackers
  • Sky lanterns
  • Burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description
  • Binary exploding targets
  • Air curtain burners
  • Tiki and similar kind of torches
  • Chimineas

To learn more about the different categories of open burning, visit our website.

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 centimetres tall.

The Category 1 campfire prohibition includes all BC Parks, Crown lands and private lands. Human-caused wildfires are completely preventable and divert critical resources away from lightning-caused fires.

Check with your local government or other jurisdictional authorities before lighting a fire of any size since they may have their own restrictions in place.

To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cell phone.

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Contact:

Fire Information Officer
Northwest Fire Centre
BCWS.NWFCInformationOffcier@gov.bc.ca
250 876-6844

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