(B.C. Wildfire Service).

By Aaron Schulze

FIRE WATCH

Category Two open burning prohibition coming for Cariboo Fire Centre

Jun 23, 2021 | 4:18 PM

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. — Effective at noon on Friday (June 25), Category Two open burning, as well as other equipment and activities, will be prohibited throughout the Cariboo Fire Centre’s jurisdiction and the Tsilhqot’in (Xeni Gwet’in) Declared Title Area.

The prohibition does not apply to campfires that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide, and cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes.

Specifically, prohibited equipment and activities will include:

• Category Two and Three open fires, which includes the burning of any waste, slash or other materials, open fires larger than a half-metre wide by a half-metre high, stubble or grass fires of any size over any area
• fireworks, including firecrackers
• sky lanterns
• tiki torches
• air curtain burners
• binary exploding targets
• burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description

The prohibitions apply to all public and private land within the Cariboo Fire Centre jurisdiction and Tsilhqot’in (Xeni Gwet’in) Declared Title Area, unless specified otherwise, such as in a local government bylaw.

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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.

Residents are encouraged to check with local government authorities for any other restrictions before lighting any fire.

Enforcement of fire prohibitions is undertaken by the Compliance and Enforcement Branch of the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, along with the Conservation Officer Service and the RCMP.

All illegal fires will be investigated, and charges may be laid under the Wildfire Act or Wildfire Regulation, depending on the outcome of the investigation. Anyone found breaking an open burning prohibition 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/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, as well as the value of resources damaged or destroyed by the wildfire.

Anyone can report a wildfire, unattended campfire, or open burning violation, by calling 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cellphone.