As the summer heat finally arrives, the provincial government is tightening burning restrictions. As of noon Friday, Class 2 wildfires will be prohibited throughout BC’s southern interior, including the Kamloops and Southeast Fire Stations. Fires are still allowed. Prohibited activities include:
Category 2 outdoor fires: One to two burning piles no more than two meters high and three meters wide or burning straw or glass in an area of less than 0.2 hectares Fireworks, Sky Lanterns, Explosive Binary Targets, Air Curtain Burners Burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description unless used for fire.
Campfires that are half a meter high and half a meter wide or less are not prohibited, and the ban does not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes.
Class 3 outdoor fires are prohibited in the area from June 30, 2022. All of these prohibitions apply to public and private land, unless otherwise specified. Anyone found with a prohibited open fire could be ticketed $1,150, ordered to pay an administrative penalty of $10,000, or if convicted in court, fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to a year in jail. If the fire contributes to a fire, the responsible party may be required to pay all firefighting costs. More information on different categories of opening combustion can be found here.
