WILLIAMS LAKE – Effective at 12:00 p.m. (noon) PDT on Thursday, August 28, 2025, Category 1 campfires will be prohibited throughout the Cariboo Fire Centre and the Tsilhqot’in (Xeni Gwet’in) Declared Title Area. The prohibition will remain in effect until 12:00 p.m. (noon) on Thursday, September 11, 2025, or until the order is rescinded.
A Category 1 campfire is defined as any fire smaller than 0.5 metres high by 0.5 metres wide.
Camping is a long-standing tradition in this province. The Cariboo Fire Centre recognizes that members of the community enjoy having campfires and so takes any decision to implement a campfire ban seriously. The BC Wildfire Service is constantly monitoring current and forecasted conditions and maintaining preparedness.
Please view map of the prohibited areas below or online here.
What is prohibited
Category 1 campfires including the following equipment and activities:
- Sky Lanterns
- Wood fired hot tubs, wood fired pizza ovens and other wood fired devices unless vented through a structure that has a flue and is incorporated in a building.
- Open burning on the following types of land within municipal boundaries:
- Parks, conservancies and recreation areas
- Recreation sites, recreation trails, interpretive forest sites and trail-based recreation areas
- Ecological reserves
- Wildlife management areas
- Private managed forest land
- Category 3 and Category 2 open fires remain prohibited through the entire Cariboo Fire Centre including the following associated equipment and activities:
- Binary exploding targets
- Fireworks
- Burn Barrels or Burn Cages
- Controlled air incinerators
- Air curtain burners
- Carbonizers
What is not prohibited
- Outdoor stoves as defined in the Wildfire Regulation
- 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.
Contributing Factors
Campfire prohibitions take into consideration a region’s Buildup Index (BUI). The BUI allows the province’s six Fire Centres to follow a consistent and scientific process for evaluating the need for campfire 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
The Cariboo Fire Centre would like to thank the public for their continued help in preventing and reporting wildfires.
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, the BC Wildfire Map or use the BC Wildfire app.
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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