SMITHERS – Due to current and forecast conditions, a provincewide Category 1 campfire prohibition will be put into effect. Effective at 12 p.m. (noon) PDT on Friday, July 12, 2024, in addition to Category 2 and Category 3 open fires, Category 1 campfires will be prohibited across the Northwest Fire Centre.
Although the campfire ban does not come into effect until Friday, the Northwest Fire Centre would like to remind the public that they must always use caution and burn responsibly, regardless of existing bans and prohibitions. Never leave a campfire unattended. If there are windy conditions in your area, you should not light a campfire. More information about campfires can be found on online.
These open fire prohibitions will remain in effect until the Order is rescinded.
A map of the affected area is available online and below.
On July 12, 2024, the following open fires are prohibited in the Northwest Fire Centre:
- Category 1 campfires as defined in the Wildfire Regulation;
- Category 2 open fire as defined in the Wildfire Regulation; and,
- Category 3 open fire as defined in the Wildfire Regulation.
In addition to open fires being prohibited, the following activities and equipment are also restricted:
- Fireworks, including firecrackers;
- Sky lanterns;
- Burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description;
- Binary exploding targets;
- Air curtain burners;
- Tiki and similar kind of torches; and,
- Chimineas
To learn more about the different categories of open burning, visit the BC Wildfire Service Open Burning webpage.
This prohibition does not include the use of outdoor stoves. 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 centimetres tall.
The Category 1 campfire prohibition includes all BC Parks, Crown lands and private lands. Human-caused wildfires are completely preventable and divert critical resources away from lightning-caused fires.
Check with your local government or other jurisdictional authorities before lighting a fire of any size as they may have their own restrictions in place.
To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free, *5555 on a cell phone or submit directly through the BC Wildfire Service mobile app.
Follow the latest wildfire news:
- on Twitter
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- on the free BC Wildfire Service public mobile app, available for Apple (iOS) and Android devices
Contact:
Fire Information Officer
Northwest Fire Centre
BC Wildfire Service
BCWS.NWFCInformationOfficer@gov.bc.ca
250-876-6844
Connect with the Province of B.C. at www.gov.bc.ca/connect.