A ban on category 3 open fires is now in effect across the Kamloops Fire Centre.
Last week, the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) said the ban was being put in place to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.
The ban applies to the Lillooet, Kamloops, Merritt, Vernon and Penticton fire zones.
The ban went into effect at noon on Friday and will remain in place until Oct. 11, or until the order is rescinded.
A category 3 open fire is classified as the following:
material concurrently in 3 or more piles each not exceeding 2 m in height and 3 m in width,
material in one or more piles each exceeding 2 m in height or 3 m in width,
one or more windrows, each not exceeding 200 m in length or 15 m in width, or
stubble or grass over an area exceeding 0.2 ha.
Category 1 campfires and category 2 open fires are not being banned at this time.
The ban applies to all public and private land within the Kamloops Fire Centre, unless specified otherwise in a local government bylaw.
The news release from the BCWS said all category 3 open fires needed to be extinguish by that deadline.
Anyone found disobeying the ban may be issued a ticket for $11,50, required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $10,000, fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to one year in jail, says the BCWS in the news release.
Additionally, if the fire causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be ordered to pay for all firefighting and other associated costs.
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