Public asked to use caution with fires over the weekend

The BC Wildfire Service is urging residents and visitors to use caution over the weekend given the increased wildfire activity in the Okanagan and elsewhere.

From April 1, 2016, until Aug. 25, there have been 936 wildfires reported to the BC Wildfire Service, 443 of them human caused. So far this year, 99, 317 hectares have been burned as a result.The province has spent an estimated $103 million so far this fire season. The current fire danger rating throughout the province is generally “moderate” to “high” with some areas rated “extreme.” Residents are being encouraged to do everything they can to prevent human-caused wildfires.

Campfires are currently banned in the Central Okanagan as per the Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO), and the Coastal Fire Centre.

Here are some important campfire safety tips (if you're in an area where campfires are allowed):

• Campfires cannot be larger than 0.5 metres high by 0.5 metres wide.
• Have a hand tool or at least eight litres of water available nearby to
• completely extinguish your campfire.
• Do not light a campfire or keep it burning in windy conditions. Weather
• can change quickly and the wind may carry embers to other combustible
• material.
• Maintain a fireguard around the campfire. This is a fuel-free area
• where all flammable materials (grass, kindling, etc.) have been removed.
• You must not leave a campfire unattended for any length of time.
• You must ensure that the campfire is completely extinguished and the
• ashes are cold to the touch before leaving the area for any length of time.

Anyone operating motorized vehicles in the backcountry must also use caution since the heat from an exhaust pipe could easily ignite a wildfire - especially in tall, dry grass. Anyone found in contravention of an open fire prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150, 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.