An area including the region around Kitimat is subject to an open fire and camp fire ban, the Northwest Fire Centre announced today.
The ban is to prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.
The list of banned fires are:
* Category 2 open fires
* Category 3 open fires
* campfires, as defined in the Wildfire Regulation
* outdoor stoves and other portable campfire apparatuses that are not
CSA or ULC approved
* open fires in an outdoor stove
* fireworks, tiki torches and sky lanterns
This prohibition does not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes. It also does not apply to a portable campfire apparatus with a CSA or ULC rating that uses briquettes, liquid or gaseous fuel, with a flame height of 15 centimetres or less. The use of a portable campfire apparatus that does not meet these conditions is prohibited.
This prohibition covers all BC Parks, Crown and private lands, but does not apply within the boundaries of local governments that have forest fire prevention bylaws and are serviced by a fire department. Please check with local authorities for any other restrictions before lighting a fire.
The fire danger rating in the Northwest Fire Centre currently ranges from "high" to "extreme" and is expected to increase in the coming days, due to forecasted weather conditions. As Wildfire Management
Branch crews and personnel face increasing fire activity from naturally occurring wildfires, it is imperative that preventable, human-caused fires do not add to that workload.
Anyone found in contravention of an open fire prohibition may be issued a ticket for $345 or, if convicted in court, be fined up to $100,000 and sentenced to one year in jail. If the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person may be subject to a penalty of up to $10,000 and be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.