WILLIAMS LAKE – Effective at 12 p.m. (noon) PDT on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, the Category 3 open fire prohibition will be rescinded for the entire Cariboo Fire Centre, including the Tsilhqot’in (Xeni Gwet’in) Declared Title Area.
All open burning is now permitted throughout the entire Cariboo Fire Centre. A map of the boundaries is provided below:
A Category 3 open fire is:
- Material concurrently in three 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 or 3 metres in width;
- One or more windrows each not exceeding 200 metres in length or 15 metres in width; or
- Stubble or grass over an area exceeding 0.2 hectares.
Anyone lighting a Category 3 fire must obtain a burn registration number prior to burning. Registration numbers are available by calling 1-888-797-1717 or emailing hpr.1800@gov.bc.ca.
Anyone who lights a Category 3 open fire must also comply with B.C.’s Open Burning Smoke Control Regulations and check the local venting index online or by calling 1-888-281-2992.
Before lighting a fire of any size, always check with your local government authority (municipality, First Nations, etc.) as they may have their own restrictions in place. More information on open burning is available on the BC Wildfire Service website.
For more information on Category 3 open fire safety, visit the BC Wildfire Service website.
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.
Human-caused wildfires are completely preventable and divert critical resources away from naturally caused fires. Always practice safe, responsible open fire use.
To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cell phone.
Follow the latest wildfire news on:
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- BC Wildfire App: available for Apple and Android
Contact:
Fire Information Team
Cariboo Fire Centre
BC Wildfire Service
778-799-2100
Connect with the Province of B.C. at www.gov.bc.ca/connect.