Public Reminded to Exercise Extreme Caution

PARKSVILLE - The Coastal Fire Centre is urging the public to be extremely cautious with the use of campfires over the May long weekend. May has seen unseasonably dry thus far, and this has resulted in 26 fires with a total of 83 hectares burned within the Coastal Fire Centre: all are suspected to be human-caused.

The current prohibitions do not ban campfires or cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes within The Coastal Fire Centre. A reminder to the public about campfire safety and responsibilities are as follows:

•          No larger than 0.5 metres high by 0.5 metres wide

•          Must have a fire guard around the campfire

•          Must have ready access to 8 litres of water or a shovel for the entire time the campfire is lit

•          Never leave the campfire unattended

•          Must be completely extinguished and ashes cool to the touch before leaving the area

A reminder that currently, there is a Category 2 and Category 3 prohibition in place throughout the Coastal Fire Centre, with the exception of Haida Gwaii. In addition, the following activities and use of the following equipment, materials and substances are currently prohibited:

•          Fireworks

•          Sky Lanterns

•          Burn Barrels or Burn Cages of any size or description

•          Binary exploding targets

•          Air Curtain Banners

Anyone found in contravention of an open-burning prohibition may be issued a violation ticket for $1,150, may be required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $10,000 or, if convicted in court, may 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.

Human-caused wildfires are completely preventable and divert critical resources away from naturally caused fires. Always practice safe, responsible open fire use. 

To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cell phone.

You can follow the latest wildfire news:

•          on the free BC Wildfire Service public mobile app, available for Apple (iOS) and Android devices: the public can now report wildfires using this app

•          on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo

•          on Facebook at: http://facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo

Contact:

BC Wildfire Service

Fire Information Officer

Coastal Fire Centre

250 951-4209