Category 1 campfire prohibition planned for the Bulkley Fire Zone



SMITHERS – Effective at 12 p.m. (noon) PDT on Thursday, July 6, 2023, Category 1 campfires will be prohibited across the Bulkley Fire Zone, which includes the Skeena portion of the Skeena Stikine Forest District. The Bulkley Fire Zone ranges from Hungry Hill in the east to Little Oliver Creek in the west along Highway 16.

This campfire prohibition will help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.

The Category 1 campfire prohibition for the Nadina Fire Zone and the province-wide Category 2 and 3 prohibition on open burning remain in effect. To view restrictions specific to your region, visit the fire bans and restrictions webpage.

The following activities and equipment are also prohibited under the Category 1 campfire ban:

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

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 cm tall.

Anyone conducting a Category 1 campfire anywhere in the Bulkley Fire Zone must extinguish it by 12 p.m. (noon) PDT, July 6, 2023. This prohibition will remain in place until September 30, 2023, at 12 p.m. (noon) PDT or until the public is otherwise notified.

A map of the affected area is available here.

The Category 1 campfire prohibition applies to all BC Parks, Crown lands and private lands, but does not apply within the boundaries of a local government that has forest fire prevention bylaws in place and is serviced by a fire department. Check with local government authorities for any other restrictions before lighting any fire.

Human-caused wildfires are completely preventable and divert critical resources away from lightning-caused fires. Always practice safe, responsible fire use where permitted.

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.

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.

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:

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

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