Campfire ban starts Friday
Campfire restrictions in the Coastal fire region.
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Updated: July 21, 2009 4:32 PM
A ban on campfires throughout B.C.'s coastal fire region from the U.S./Canada border to Tweedsmuir Park in the north goes into effect noon Friday.
All the land west of the Coast Mountain range to the Sunshine Coast, Lower Mainland, all of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands are included.
The ban applies to all BC Park lands, public Crown lands and private lands outside of organized areas. Municipalities and regional districts with their own burning bylaws are exempt.
The ban also does not restrict fires in stoves using gas, propane or briquettes, or to open-flame campfire equipment like propane campfires.
The ban will remain in effect until weather conditions no longer pose a threat of wildfires.
Fire information officer Mike McCulley said it's unlikely a rainfall substantial enough to reduce the threat will occur, given the weather forecast.
"We're looking at continued hot, dry weather," he said Tuesday.
About 6,000 residents of West Kelowna began returning to their homes Tuesday morning after a fire broke out there on Saturday. Another 5,000 residents were unable to return as fire crews continued battling two fires still burning in the area.
The cause of the main fire is still under investigation, but it's believe to be man-made.
It started as a 15-hectare blaze, but grew dramatically to more than 400 hectares by Sunday, jumping Highway 97 and moving eastward toward Okanagan Lake. It is now 60 percent contained.
Chilliwack fire officials are concerned about fires starting in the tinder dry forests here, if campers leave campfires unattended.
"Any time you leave any fire alone out in the woods, it's not a good thing," said Ian Josephson, assistant fire chief.
The fire hazard rating is "high" in most of the Chilliwack Forest District, including the Fraser Valley and Fraser Canyon, and it's "extremely high" in pockets around Squamish and Whistler.
McCulley agreed that abandoned campfires pose a "significant problem" for firefighters, and "now is a good time for people to be cautious out there."
Causing a forest fire can result in a provincial fine up $100,000, and a jail term up to 14 years and a maximum million-dollar fine, if criminal charges are proved.
To report a wildfire call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on most cell phones. For more information on bans or wildfire reports visit www.bcwildfire.ca
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