Vancouver Sun

Open fire restrictio­ns coming into effect across coastal B.C.

- GORDON MCINTYRE gordmcinty­re@postmedia.com twitter.com/gordmcinty­re

No Category 2 open fires will be allowed through most of coastal B.C. starting at noon Wednesday. Category 2 open fires include the burning of piles of rubbish, grasslands or stubble.

Campfires don’t fall under the category.

The area affected reaches from White Rock to the central coast on the mainland and as far into the Interior as Manning Park and the land west of the Coast Mountain Range as far north as Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park.

On Vancouver Island, the socalled Fog Zone is exempt (a twokilomet­re-wide strip extending from Owen Point near Port Renfrew to the northern tip of the Island and curving back to Port Hardy), as is Haida Gwaii.

The rest of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands will be under the ban.

The ban covers all provincial parks, Crown and private lands in the Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast, Central Coast and the islands, except within boundaries of local government that have forest-fire prevention bylaws and are serviced by fire department­s. The prohibitio­n will remain in place until Oct. 20, unless announced otherwise.

The penalty for lighting an open fire during a prohibitio­n is a fine of up to $1,150 or, if convicted in court, a fine of up to $100,000 and/ or one year in jail. If a fire during a ban escapes and causes a wildfire, the person responsibl­e may be fined anywhere from $100,000 to $1 million to cover firefighti­ng costs.

A Category 2 ban doesn’t include campfires, which are defined as smaller than a half-metre high by a half-metre wide.

Nor does it apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes.

Campfires require a fireguard (removing flammable debris from the campfire area) and the presence of a hand tool or eight litres of water to extinguish the fire.

Campers are urged to ensure fires are completely extinguish­ed and that ashes are cold to the touch before they leave the area for a significan­t amount of time.

Larger fires (Category 3) and lighting more than two fires at a time require a burn registrati­on number by calling 1-888-797-1717. For outdoor fires, venting indexes can be checked online.

To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open-burning violation, you can call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on a cellphone.

Up-to-date informatio­n on wildfires, restrictio­ns and air quality are available at bcwildfire.ca.

 ??  ?? Members of the B.C. Wildfire Service fight the Fountain Valley Road fire southeast of Lillooet on May 30.
Members of the B.C. Wildfire Service fight the Fountain Valley Road fire southeast of Lillooet on May 30.

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