WILLIAMS LAKE – Effective at 12 p.m. (noon) PDT on Friday, Oct. 6, 2023, the Category 2 and 3 open fire prohibitions will be rescinded for most areas of the Cariboo Fire Centre, excluding the Chilcotin Fire Zone and the Cariboo-Chilcotin Forest District on the west side of the Fraser River.
A map of the remaining Category 2 and 3 prohibition boundaries is provided below:
Category 2 open fire is defined as:
- one or two concurrently burning piles no larger than two metres high by three metres wide
- stubble or grass burning over an area of less than 0.2 hectares in size
Category 3 open fire is defined as:
- any fire larger than two metres high by three metres wide
- three or more concurrently burning piles each no larger than two metres high by three metres wide
- the burning of stubble or grass over an area greater than 0.2 hectares
- the burning of one or more windrows
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 2 or 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 online.
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 the free BC Wildfire Service public mobile app, available for Apple (iOS) and Android devices
- on Twitter
- on Facebook
Contact:
Fire Information Officer
Cariboo Fire Centre
BC Wildfire Service
778 799-2100
Connect with the Province of B.C. at www.gov.bc.ca/connect