Open fire ban coming to Interior B.C.

If you were planning to camp in the Interior later this summer, you should leave your firewood at home.

The BC Wildfire Service says the first total campfire ban in the province — this season — will come into effect for the Kamloops Fire Centre Friday.

As of noon on July 12, all categories of open fires, including campfires will be prohibited in the region that includes Kamloops, Lillooet, Merritt, Penticton, Vernon and more.

The service says a ban is absolutely necessary amid hot and dry weather conditions across the province.

“Camping is a long-standing tradition in this province. The B.C. government recognizes that people also enjoy having campfires, so it takes any decision to implement a campfire ban very seriously. Wildfire prevention is a shared responsibility. Human-caused wildfires are completely preventable and divert critical resources away from lightning-caused wildfires.”

In addition to fires, the service says fireworks, sky lanterns, binary exploding targets, air curtain burners, burn barrels or cages of any size, chimineas and tiki or similar torches are also banned.

Anyone found violating the ban may be issued a ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $10,000 or, if convicted in court, fined up to $100,000 and possibly sentenced to one year in jail.

Sarah Budd, a provincial information officer in Kamloops, tells CityNews that the BC Wildfire Service relies heavily on reports to respond to fires.

“The public are our best source of information for detecting new fire starts. So if you do see smoke and you suspect that there’s a fire, please do report that. You can press * 5555 on your cell phone. And you can report wildfires in the BC Wildfire mobile app,” said Budd.

The ban will stay in place until mid October or until the order is rescinded.