CASTLEGAR – Effective at 12 p.m. (noon) PDT on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, the Category 3 open burning prohibition will be rescinded in the Columbia, Arrow and Kootenay Lake fire zones. All open burning will be permitted in those zones.
Category 3 open burning will remain prohibited in the Cranbrook, Invermere, and Boundary fire zones. This means that the following activities will remain prohibited in these zones:
- Category 3 open fires, as defined in the Wildfire Regulation:
- any fire larger than two metres high by three metres wide
- three or more concurrently burning piles no larger than two metres high by three metres wide
- one or more burning windrows
- Stubble or grass burning over an area greater than 0.2 hectares
These prohibitions apply to all public and private land unless specified otherwise (for example, in a local government bylaw). Please check with local government authorities for any other restrictions before lighting any fire.
A map of the affected areas and their associated prohibitions is below:
Anyone lighting a Category 3 open fire must first obtain a burn registration number by calling 1 888 797-1717.
Anyone who lights a Category 2 or 3 open fire must also comply with B.C.’s air quality control legislation. View the local venting index online or by calling 1 888 281-2992.
Find information on the different types of open burning and the associated rules and regulations here.
The Southeast Fire Centre extends from the U.S. border in the south to Mica Dam in the north, and from the Okanagan Highlands and Monashee Mountains in the west, to the B.C.-Alberta border in the east.
Follow the latest wildfire news:
- on BC Wildfire public mobile app, free to download for Apple and Android devices
- Twitter at: http://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo
- Facebook at: http://facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo
Contact:
Fire Information Officer
Southeast Fire Centre
BC Wildfire Service | Ministry of Forests
250 318-7715
Connect with the Province of B.C. at www.gov.bc.ca/connect