Effective at noon Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on Friday, July 12, 2024, Category 1 campfires will be prohibited throughout the Southeast Fire Centre in British Columbia, including Creston. This order will remain in force until noon October 28, or until the Order is rescinded. These prohibitions apply to all public and private land.
The following open fires will be prohibited on July 12th at noon:
- 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.
The following activities and equipment are also restricted:
- Fireworks;
- 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.
This prohibition does not include the use of outdoor stoves. As per the Wildfire Regulation, an outdoor stove is a CSA 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.
Anyone found in contravention of an open burning prohibition may be issued a violation ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $10,000 or, if convicted in court, 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. Violators could also be held responsible for damages to Crown resources, which could be significant. Read more about the Wildfire Act and Regulation.
To learn more about the different categories of open burning, visit the Open Burning webpage.
To report a wildfire, call 1-800-663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cell phone. For up-to-date information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, call 1-888-3-FOREST or visit:
