File photo (Image credit: CFJC Today).

By Aaron Schulze

Category 2 Fire Ban

Category 2 open fire prohibition taking effect in Kamloops Fire Centre

Jun 11, 2025 | 10:46 AM

KAMLOOPS — Another layer of fire prohibitions has been placed over the Kamloops Fire Centre amid drier and warmer conditions.

Effective noon Friday (June 13), the BC Wildfire Service says Category 2 open fires will be prohibited throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre. This is in addition to the Category 3 open fire ban that came into effect on May 16.

In a news release issued Wednesday (June 11), the wildfire service says the latest prohibition does not apply to campfires that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide.

Category 2 is classified as an open fire that burns material in one pile, not exceeding two metres in height and three metres in width, and grass and stubble fires not exceeding 0.2 hectares.

Additionally, the following activities and equipment are prohibited:

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• fireworks, including firecrackers
• air curtain burners
• binary exploding targets
• burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description
• carbonizers
• controlled air incinerators

The Kamloops Fire Centre includes the Kamloops, Lillooet, Merritt, Penticton and Vernon Fire Zones.

Image credit: BC Wildfire Service

The prohibition will remain in place until Oct. 17, 2025, or until the public is otherwise notified. Anyone conducting a Category Two open fire anywhere within the Kamloops Fire Centre must extinguish them by the time the ban is in effect.

Last year, the Category 2 open fire prohibition came into effect on May 17.

Anyone found in contravention of an open-burning prohibition may be issued a violation ticket for $1,150, and may be 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.

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

As of noon Tuesday (June 10), the wildfire service says the fire danger rating in the Kamloops Fire Centre mostly ranks “high” and “extreme.”

Image credit: BC Wildfire Service