As of noon on Wednesday, June 12, Category 2 and Category 3 open fires—along with a few other activities and the use of certain equipment—will not be allowed throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre (KFC).
The prohibition will be in effect until Oct. 15, 2019 or until the order is rescinded, and is being put in place to help prevent human-caused wildfires.
A map of the affected area can be found online at http://bit.ly/2EUqezl. A poster explaining the different categories of open burning, as well as what equipment can and cannot be used, can be found at http://bit.ly/2K6fbqU.
The prohibition does not ban 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.
Prohibited activities will include the burning of one or more open fires larger than one metre high by two metres wide; stubble or grass fires of any size; the use of fireworks, firecrackers, sky lanterns, and tiki torches (or similar kinds of torches); the use of burning barrels and burning cages of any size or description; and the use of binary exploding targets.
These prohibitions apply to all public and private land within the KFC, unless specified otherwise (for example, by 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, be required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $10,000 or, if convicted in court, be 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.
READ MORE: Cache Creek man ordered to pay $500K for wildfire that sparked on his property
Report a wildfire, unattended campfire, or open burning violation by calling 1- 800-663-555 toll-free or *5555 on a cellphone. For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures, and air quality advisories, go to www.bcwildfire.ca.
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