WILLIAMS LAKE — Effective at noon PDT on July 15, 2022, Category 2 open burning as well as other equipment and activities listed below will be prohibited throughout the Cariboo Fire Centre’s jurisdiction and the Tsilhqot’in (Xeni Gwet’in) Declared Title Area.

This prohibition, which is being implemented in partnership with the Tsilhqot’in National Government, is being enacted to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.

This prohibition will remain in effect until noon on Oct. 1, 2022, or until the public is otherwise notified. Anyone conducting Category 2 open fires within the Cariboo Fire Centre jurisdiction or in the Tsilhqot’in (Xeni Gwet’in) Declared Title Area must extinguish any such fire by noon on July 15. Category 3 open fires will remain prohibited throughout the Cariboo Fire Centre and the Tsilhqot’in (Xeni Gwet’in) Declared Title Area until Oct. 1, 2022 or until the public is otherwise notified.

A map of the affected areas is available online at: http://ow.ly/VSAt30snWRl

This prohibition does not apply to campfires that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide and does not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes. Learn more about the different categories of open burning on the open burning webpage.

Specifically, prohibited equipment and activities will include:

• Fireworks
• Sky Lanterns
• Binary Exploding Targets
• Burn Barrels or Burn Cages of any size or description
• Air Curtain Burners

These prohibitions apply to all public and private land within the Cariboo Fire Centre jurisdiction and Tsilhqot’in (Xeni Gwet’in) Declared Title Area, unless specified otherwise (e.g. in a local government bylaw). Please check with local government authorities (e.g. confirm with municipality if within city limits) for any other restrictions before lighting any fire.

Enforcement

Enforcement of fire prohibitions is undertaken by:

• the Compliance and Enforcement Branch of the Ministry of Forests,
• the Conservation Officer Service; and
• the RCMP.

All illegal fires will be investigated, and charges may be laid under the Wildfire Act or Wildfire Regulation, depending on the outcome of the investigation.
Anyone found in contravention of an open burning prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $10,000 or, if convicted in court, 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, as well as the value of resources damaged or destroyed by the wildfire.
The Cariboo Fire Centre stretches from Loon Lake near Clinton in the south to the Cottonwood River near Quesnel in the north, and from Tweedsmuir Provincial Park in the west to Wells Gray Provincial Park in the east.

To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cell phone. For up-to-date information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, call 1 888 3-FOREST or visit bcwildfire.ca

People can follow the latest wildfire news:
• on the free BC Wildfire Service public mobile app, available for Apple (iOS) and Android devices
• on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo
• on Facebook: http://facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo

Contact:

Fire Information Officer
BC Wildfire Service
Cariboo Fire Centre
778 799-2100

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