Campfire ban comes into effect July 31 for Cariboo Fire Centre

A campfire ban is scheduled across the Cariboo Fire Centre's jurisdiction in B.C.'s central Interior as of noon July 31 to help prevent human-caused fires.

The campfire prohibition will remain in effect until Sept. 29, 2018, or until the public is otherwise notified. 

The Cariboo Fire Centre stretches from Loon Lake near Clinton in the south to the Cottonwood River near Quesnel in the north, and from Tweedsmuir Provincial Park in the west to Wells Gray Provincial Park in the east.

"Although thundershowers are expected, temperatures are forecasted to remain warm. The fire danger rating in this region is generally 'high', with some pockets of 'moderate' and 'extreme,'" a release from the province says.

The following activities will be prohibited:

• an open fire of any size
• stubble or grass burning of any size
• the use of tiki torches and chimineas
• the use of fireworks, including firecrackers
• the use of sky lanterns, burning barrels or burning cages of any size or description
• the use of binary exploring targets (e.g., for target practice)
• the use of air curtain burners (forced-air burning systems)

These prohibitions do not apply to CSA-rated or ULC-rated cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes, or to a portable campfire apparatus that uses briquettes, liquid or gaseous fuel, as long as the height of the flame is less than 15 centimetres.

These prohibitions apply to all public and private land, unless specified otherwise.

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.

Similar bans are currently in effect for the Coastal, Kamloops and Southeast fire centres.

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