SMITHERS– Effective at 12 p.m. (noon) PDT on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, Category 1 (campfires) and Category 2 open fires will be allowed throughout the entirety of the Northwest Fire Centre. As well, the Category 3 open burning prohibition prohibition will be partially rescinded. Category 3 open burning will be permitted in the Stikine (Cassiar) portion of the Skeena Stikine Forest District and the North Coast portion of the Coast Mountain Forest District. Category 3 open burning will remain prohibited in the Nadina Forest District, the Skeena portion of the Skeena Stikine Forest District and the Old Kalum portion of the Coast Mountains Forest District.
The BC Wildfire Service takes several factors into account before rescinding open burning prohibitions. This includes balancing the needs of the public with the need to mitigate the risk of human-caused wildfires. The combination of current and future forecasts, recent precipitation and improved overnight recoveries has reduced the need to prohibit campfires in the Northwest.
As defined in the Wildfire Regulations, Category 3 open burning means an open fire that burns:
- Material concurrently in 3 or more piles each not exceeding 2 metres in height or 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, none of which exceed 200 metres in length or 15 metres in width
- Stubble or grass over an area exceeding 0.2 hectares
A map of the affected areas and their associated prohibitions is below.
Please check the BC Wildfire Service bans and restrictions webpage for the most current prohibitions for your area. Prohibitions apply to all public and private lands unless otherwise specified (e.g. in an enactment or local government bylaw). Please check with your local authorities before lighting any fire.
The following precautions must be in place when lighting or making use of a campfire:
- There is ready access to a shovel or at least eight litres of water the entirety of the time the campfire is lit
- There is a fuel break around the campfire, free of any debris or combustible materials
- The fire is fully extinguished and the ashes are cold to the touch before leaving the campfire for any length of time
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 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.
To report an abandoned campfire, wildfire, or open burning violation, call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on a cellphone. For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air-quality advisories, visit: bcwildfire.ca, the BC Wildfire Map or download our app.
Follow the latest wildfire news on:
BC Wildfire App: available for Apple and Android
Contact:
BC Wildfire Service
Fire Information Officer
Northwest Fire Centre
BCWS.NWFCInfo@gov.bc.ca
250-876-6844
Connect with the Province of B.C. at www.gov.bc.ca/connect