WILLIAMS LAKE – Effective at 12:00 p.m. (noon) PDT on Friday, September 26, 2025, Category 1 campfires will be permitted throughout the Cariboo Fire Centre and Tsilhqot’in (Xeni Gwet’in) Declared Title Area. Category 2 and Category 3 open fires remain prohibited until 12:00 p.m. (noon) on October 31, 2025.
The following activities remain prohibited:
- Air curtain burners
- Carbonizers
- Binary exploding targets
- Burn Barrels or Burn Cages
- Controlled air incinerators
- Fireworks, as define in the Fireworks Act of B.C.
A campfire is defined as:
- Any fire no larger than 0.5 metres high by 0.5 metres wide (a fire larger than this is considered a Category 2 fire).
- Used by any person for recreational purposes or by a First Nation for a ceremonial purpose.
As the campfire prohibition is being lifted, we ask the public to remain vigilant and follow all regulations when enjoying campfires. To learn more about open fire and safer burning, check out our webpage here.
Please view map of the prohibited areas below or online here.
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.
Penalties
- Anyone found in contravention of an open fire prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of $10,000, or, if convicted in court, fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced for up to one year in jail.
- If your fire causes or contributes to a wildfire, you may be fined up to $1 million and/or sentenced to up to 3 years in jail, as well as be responsible for all firefighting and associated costs.
Reporting
- To report a wildfire dial *5555 on a cell phone or call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free
- Use the Report function in the BC Wildfire App to report a wildfire. Reporting though the app lets you upload images and can be used without service
- To report an open burning violation or illegal campfire call the RAPP line: 1-877-952-7277 or #7277
- To report illegal fires in a local fire department’s jurisdiction, call 9-1-1
Stay in the know
For the latest information on current wildfire activity, prohibitions and restrictions, road closures, and air-quality advisories please visit BCWildfire.ca, or the following:
Contact
Fire Information Officer
Cariboo Fire Centre | BC Wildfire Service
778 799-2100
CaFCInfo@gov.bc.ca
Connect with the Province of B.C. at www.gov.bc.ca/connect