Campfires to be Banned in Southeast Fire District

Effective at noon on Friday, July 3^rd a campfire ban will be in place for the Southeast Fire Centre to help prevent human caused wildfires.

The campfire prohibition will remain in place until the public is otherwise notified. The Southeast Fire Centre covers the area that extends from the U.S. border in the south, to Mica Dam in the north, and from the Okanagan Highlands and Monashee Mountains in the west to the B.C.-Alberta border. The ban includes the Selkirk Forest District and the Rocky Mountain Forest District.

The area affected by the campfire ban (Photo Credit: BC Gov)

These prohibitions do not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes, or to a portable campfire apparatus with a CSA or ULC rating that uses briquettes, liquid or gaseous fuel, so long as the height of the flame is less than 15 centimetres. The use of a campfire apparatus that does not meet these specifications is prohibited.

These prohibitions cover all BC Parks, Crown lands and private lands, but do not apply within the boundaries of a local government that has forest fire prevention bylaws and is serviced by a fire department. Please check with local authorities to see if any other burning restrictions are in place before lighting any fire.

Anyone found in contravention of a fire prohibition may be issued a ticket for $345, required to pay an administrative penalty of $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.