Coastal Fire Centre partial rescind of Campfire Prohibition



PARKSVILLE – Effective at noon Pacific Daylight Time on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, Category 1 fires (campfires) will once again be permitted in the Sea to Sky Resource District, Sunshine Coast Resource District, the Chilliwack Resource District, and the portion of the Central Coast Regional District that falls within the North Island Central Coast Resource District. Campfires will continue to be permitted in the Haida Gwaii Resource District. This change will be implemented due to cooler conditions and rainfall, which has reduced the fire danger rating in these areas. However, if conditions change, prohibitions may once again be enacted.

Campfires will remain prohibited on Vancouver Island and most Gulf Islands – along with tiki and similar kind of torches and chimineas — until October 31, 2023, or until the order is rescinded.

Category 2 and Category 3 fires will remain prohibited throughout the Coastal Fire Centre, and effective at noon Pacific Daylight Time on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, this will also include the Haida Gwaii Resource District. This prohibition is being enacted to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety and will be in place until Tuesday, October 31, 2023, or until the order is rescinded.

The Category 2 and Category 3 prohibition also restricts the following activities and equipment:

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

The use of outdoor stoves is not prohibited. As per the Wildfire Regulation, an outdoor stove is 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.

These prohibitions apply to all public and private land within the Coastal Fire Centre jurisdiction, unless specified otherwise in an enactment (e.g., in a local government bylaw). Always check with local government authorities to see if any other burning restrictions are in effect.

A map of the affected areas is available online: https://ow.ly/BtFy50OTioY

To learn more about the different categories of open burning, visit the Open Burning webpage.

Anyone who lights, fuels or uses an open fire when a fire prohibition is in place or fails to comply with an open fire prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150 or, if convicted in court, 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 subject to a penalty of up to $100,000 and ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.

The Coastal Fire Centre covers all the area west of the height of land on the Coast Mountain Range from the U.S.-Canada border at Manning Park, including Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park in the north, the Sunshine Coast, the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and Haida Gwaii.

To report a wildfire, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cell phone. For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, go to: http://www.bcwildfire.ca

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Contact:

Fire Information Officer

BC Wildfire Service

Coastal Fire Centre 250-951-4209