Category 2 and 3 fire ban to start in Kamloops Fire Centre

Jul 24, 2020 | 12:06 PM

With the hottest part of the summer still to come, fire officials are not taking any chances.

Category 2 and Category 3 open fires, as well as other equipment and activities will be prohibited throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre, effective at 12 p.m.on Wednesday, July 29.

The ban is being implemented to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.

The prohibition will remain in effect until noon on Oct. 15, 2020, or until the order is rescinded. Anyone conducting category 2 or category 3 open fires within the Kamloops Fire Centre’s jurisdiction must extinguish those fires by the July 29 deadline.

A map of the affected area is available online.

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This prohibition does not prohibit campfires that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide (or smaller) and does not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes. A poster explaining the different categories of open burning is available online.

Specifically, prohibited activities will include:

Category 2 open fires;
Category 3 open fires;
the use of fireworks;
the use of sky lanterns;
the use of binary exploding targets and
the use of burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description except when used for a campfire as defined by the wildfire regulation.

The prohibitions apply to all public and private land within the Kamloops Fire Centre jurisdiction, unless specified otherwise in an enactment (e.g. in a local government bylaw). Before lighting any fire, people should check with local government authorities to see if any other burning restrictions are in effect.

Anyone found in contravention of an open burning prohibition may be issued a 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.

The Kamloops 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, 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: www.bcwildfire.ca

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