White Rock’s fire chief is reminding visitors and residents alike that open-air burning and beach fires are not permitted in the waterfront city.
In a news release issued Wednesday (May 19), Chief Ed Wolfe said those starting fires “put others at risk of being burned and your actions can tie up emergency services needed for other incidents across the city.”
In the past two months, the city’s firefighters have responded to 23 such calls, many of them reports of multiple fires, the release adds.
In addition to the risk of personal harm and property damage, individuals who set open-air fires risk impacting the city’s sensitive environment. As well, there’s a financial hit: a fine of up to $1,150. The minimum fine is $150 for violating the city’s fire bylaw. The higher penalty is if the fire is set during a provincial fire ban.
“Most people are doing the right thing,” Wolfe notes. “They are staying safe and not lighting fires on the beaches in White Rock.
“My best advice is ‘Don’t do it.'”
Mayor Darryl Walker added that by setting a fire, “you put everyone at risk and do not show respect for those who live and work nearby.”
READ MORE: White Rock beachgoers fined for fires, public intoxication
In an effort to curb such activity throughout the summer, White Rock police and BNSF agents conduct joint patrols along the waterfront from May to September.
Last weekend (May 14-16), police attended to 17 beach fires.
The news release urges anyone who comes across a beach fire to call 911. For more information, visit www.whiterockcity.ca, call 604-541-2121 or email fire@whiterockcity.ca
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