Open fires to be allowed again in Coastal Fire Centre



PARKSVILLE – Effective at noon Pacific Daylight Time on Friday, October 28, 2022, open burning activities will once again be permitted throughout the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction.

Category 2 and Category 3 open fires have been prohibited throughout the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction since July 15, 2022, with a set end date of October 28, 2022. This prohibition is being allowed to lapse due to current and expected rainfall, along with a return to seasonal temperatures.

The ending of the prohibition applies to all public and private land unless specified otherwise (e.g., in a local government bylaw). People are asked to check with local government authorities for any other

restrictions before lighting any fire.

Specifically, this change will allow the following activities:

“Category 2 open fire” which means an open fire, other than a campfire, that

  1. burns material in one pile not exceeding 2 m in height and 3 m in width,
  2. burns material concurrently in 2 piles each not exceeding 2 m in height and 3 m in width, or
  3. burns stubble or grass over an area that does not exceed 0.2 ha.

“Category 3 open fire” which means an open fire that burns

  1. material concurrently in 3 or more piles each not exceeding 2 m in height and 3 m in width,
  2. material in one or more piles each exceeding 2 m in height or 3 m in width,
  3. one or more windrows, or
  4. stubble or grass over an area exceeding 0.2 ha.

Also allowed will be the previously prohibited activities listed below (Wildfire Act, Section 12):

  • Fireworks, including firecrackers;
  • Sky Lanterns;
  • Binary Exploding Targets;
  • Burn Barrels or Burn Cages of any size or description; and,
  • Air Curtain Burners.

The campfire prohibition within the Coastal Fire Centre was lifted on September 20, 2022. This applies to campfires that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide or smaller, or to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes. Anyone lighting a campfire must maintain a fireguard by removing flammable debris from around the campfire area and have a hand tool or at least eight litres of water available nearby to properly extinguish the fire.

A poster explaining the different categories of open burning is available online: openburningregs_2022update.pdf

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