Category 2 open fire prohibition to be rescinded in the Southeast Fire Centre



CASTLEGAR – Effective at 12:00 noon Pacific Time on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, the Category 2 open fire prohibition will be rescinded throughout the Southeast Fire Centre’s jurisdiction.

Due to decreased wildfire risk, the following activities will once again be permitted throughout the Southeast Fire Centre:

  • One to two concurrently burning piles no larger than two metres high by three metres wide
  • Burning stubble or grass over an area less than 0.2 hectares
  • Fireworks, as defined in the Fireworks Act of BC
  • Binary exploding targets
  • Burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description
  • Controlled air incinerators

Please note: Category 3 open fire remains prohibited throughout the Southeast Fire Centre.

A Category 3 open fire is a fire that burns:

  • Material concurrently in 3 or more piles, each not exceeding 2 metres in height and 3 metres in width
  • Material in one or more piles, each exceeding 2 metres in height and 3 metres in width
  • One or more windrows each not exceeding 200 metres in length or 15 metres in width
  • Stubble o grass over an area exceeding 0.2 hectares

In addition to Category 3 open fires, the following equipment and activities are also prohibited:

  • Air curtain burners
  • Carbonizers

You can find the PDF poster for Category 3 open fire here.

A map indicating the areas affected by this prohibition is available online and below:

25_southeast_map_s10s12_prohibition_color_info_8x11l_oct07Download

Open fire prohibitions apply to all areas in the Southeast Fire Centre that are outside of municipal boundaries.

Prohibitions apply to the following types of land within municipal boundaries:

  • Parks, conservancies and recreation areas (Park Act)
  • Recreation sites, recreation trails, interpretive forest sites and trail-based recreation areas (Forest and Range Practices Act)
  • Ecological reserves (Ecological Reserve Act)
  • Wildlife management areas (Wildlife Act)
  • Private managed forest land (Private Managed Forest Land Act)

Prohibitions also apply to all lands in the Villages of Slocan and Silverton municipalities.

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. You can find more information on prohibitions and restrictions within the Southeast Fire Centre here.

Offences and fines

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. More information about the Wildfire Act and Regulation is available online.

Report a wildfire

The Southeast Fire Centre would like to thank the public for its continuing help in preventing wildfires.

To report a wildfire, unattended campfire, or open burning violation, dial *5555 on a cell phone or call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free. You can also report a wildfire using the BC Wildfire App Report a fire function. Reporting through the app lets you upload images and can be used without service.

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Contact

Fire Information Officer
BC Wildfire Service – Southeast Fire Centre
250 318-7715

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