Campfire prohibition partially rescinded in Northwest Fire Centre



SMITHERS – Effective at 12 p.m. (noon) PDT on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, the Category 1 campfire prohibition was rescinded in the Cassiar Fire Zone, Skeena Fire Zone and Bulkley Fire Zone.

A Category 1 campfire is defined as an open fire that burns piled material no larger than 0.5 metres high by 0.5 metres wide. The following precautions must be in place when lighting or making use of a campfire:

  • There is ready access to a shovel or at least eight litres of water the entirety of the time the campfire is lit.
  • There is a fuel break around the campfire, free of any debris or combustible materials.
  • The fire is fully extinguished and the ashes are cold to the touch before leaving the campfire for any length of time.

Category 1 campfires are still prohibited in the Nadina Fire Zone. This includes the use of:

  • tiki and similar kinds of torches,
  • binary exploding targets,
  • burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description, and
  • air curtain burners.

Category 2 and Category 3 open burning remain prohibited across the entire Northwest Fire Centre, in addition to the use of:

  • fireworks, including firecrackers, and
  • sky lanterns.

Please check the Northwest Fire Centre’s bans and restrictions webpage for more information.

Prohibitions apply to all public and private lands unless otherwise specified (e.g. in an enactment or local government bylaw). Please check with your local authorities before lighting any fire.

Review the map outlining the prohibition areas for the Northwest Fire Centre.

Wildfire prevention is a shared responsibility. Human-caused wildfires are completely preventable and divert critical resources away from lightning-caused wildfires.

Anyone found in contravention of an open-burning prohibition may be issued a violation ticket for $1,150, may be required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $10,000 or, if convicted in court, may be 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.

For updates on the current wildfire situation, including full incident details for Wildfires of Note, please visit BCWildfire.ca.

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To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, please call 1-800-663-5555 toll-free, *5555 on a cell phone or directly through the BC Wildfire Service mobile app.

Contact:

BC Wildfire Service
Information Officer
Northwest Fire Centre
BCWS.NWFCInfo@gov.bc.ca
250-876-6844

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