Public reminded to remain cautious with campfires



CASTLEGAR – While Category 1 campfires are not currently prohibited, the Southeast Fire Centre is asking the public to remain cautious and follow all regulations when enjoying campfires.

Practice safe campfires by following these safety rules:

  • Maintain your campfire to a size no larger than 0.5 metres high by 0.5 metres wide
  • Have at least one firefighting hand tool or 8 litres of water on hand to extinguish the fire
  • Never leave your campfire unattended for any amount of time
  • Before you leave the area or go to bed for the night, your fire must be fully extinguished
  • Ensure your fire is on level ground that is a safe distance from tent walls, shrubs, trees or other flammable materials
  • Use a rock ring, fire pit or other non-flammable barrier around the fire to prevent it from spreading
  • Create a wide fuel break around your fire by scraping the area around your fire down to bare dirt to remove any flammable material

More information on open fire and safer burning can be found on our website.

A reminder, as of July 11, 2025 the below open fires are prohibited in the Southeast Fire Centre:

Also prohibited is the equipment and activities listed below (Wildfire Act, Section 12):

  • Air curtain burners
  • Carbonizers
  • Fireworks as defined in the Fireworks At of BC
  • Binary exploding targets
  • Burn barrels or burn cages of any size
  • Controlled air incinerators

You can find the PDF poster for Category 2 open fire here.

You can find the PDF poster for Category 3 open fire here.

Southeast Fire Centre prohibitions apply to all areas in within the Southeast Fire Centre that are outside of municipal boundaries. In addition, prohibitions apply to the following types of land within municipal boundaries:

  • Parks, conservancies and recreation areas (Park Act)
  • Recreation sites, recreation trails, interpretive forest sites and trail-based recreation areas (Forest and Range Practices Act)
  • Ecological reserves (Ecological Reserve Act)
  • Wildlife management areas (Wildlife Act)
  • Private managed forest land (Private Managed Forest Land Act)

Prohibitions also apply to all lands in the Villages of Slocan and Silverton municipalities.

Municipalities often follow BC Wildfire Service prohibitions or may impose different prohibitions based on conditions in their local area. If you are in a municipality, be sure to check if local prohibitions are in place. If you are within a regional district or improvement district, this prohibition applies as well as any local prohibition issued by the regional district or improvement district. BC Parks follows BC Wildfire Service prohibitions.

It is the responsibility of each individual to stay informed about prohibitions and restrictions within the Southeast Fire Centre here and to ensure that all campfires are carried out safely and in accordance with regulations.

Before lighting a campfire, a person should monitor the current and forecasted weather conditions and check with their local government for any bylaws which may prohibit or restrict burning in their area.

Offences and fines

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 for up to one year in jail.

If your fire causes or contributes to a wildfire, you may be fined up to $1 million and/or sentenced to up to 3 years in jail, as well as be responsible for all firefighting and associated costs. More information about the Wildfire Act and Wildfire Regulation is available online.

Report a wildfire

The Southeast Fire Centre would like to thank the public for its continuing help in preventing wildfires.

To report a wildfire, unattended campfire, or open burning violation, dial *5555 on a cell phone or call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free. You can also report a wildfire using the BC Wildfire App Report a fire function. Reporting through the app lets you upload images and can be used without service.

Stay up-to-date with the latest wildfire news

Contact

Fire Information Officer
Southeast Fire Centre
BC Wildfire Service
250 318-7715