UPDATE: Police, BCCOS issue multiple campfire ban violation tickets across B.C.

On July 31, 100 Mile House RCMP said the Interlakes Fire Department told them about an “uncooperative” property owner in Bridge Lake who had an unattended campfire. Police say officers at the property determined two separate fires were burning, resulting in two fines of $1,150 each.

Two days later on Aug. 2, RCMP said the 108 Mile Fire Department told them about another “belligerent person” who had a fire on a property in 108 Mile Ranch. Once again, police say officers arrived and determined the homeowner was having a fire, which resulted in a $1,150 fine.

“[We want to] remind the public that fire prohibitions are implemented to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires and protect communities, first responders, and natural resources during periods of elevated fire danger,” 100 Mile House RCMP said in a statement Wednesday (Aug. 5).

The campfire ban in the Cariboo Fire Centre came into effect on July 22 and its currently set to remain in place until Oct. 31 this year. A campfire ban was also enacted across the Kamloops Fire Centre on July 10, and it is set to remain in place until Oct. 9.

The BC Wildfire Service is once again urging people to follow all posted fire bans, as the incidents in the Cariboo came not long after BC Conservation Officers issued nearly $22,000 in fines across the province the weekend of July 24 to 26.

“Claiming you didn’t know about the campfire ban is not an acceptable excuse,” the BC Conservation Officer Service said in the July statement.

“We do still have a category 1 prohibition across the Cariboo, Kamloops and Southeast fire centre as well as parts of the coastal fire centre, so if you are out and about make sure you’re checking the prohibitions in your area before you start a fire,” Aydan Coray, an information officer with the BC Wildfire Service, told CFJC Today.

The BC Wildfire Service defines a campfire as an open fire that is no larger than a half-metre high by a half-metre wide. The bans don’t include using approved outdoor stoves, including those powered by gas, propane or other permitted fuels.

Anyone found violating an open burning prohibition may be ticketed 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.

As of Wednesday, the fire danger rating for the Cariboo Fire Centre ranges from low to moderate in the top half of the region and high to extreme in the bottom half.

(Image Credit: BC Wildfire Service)

– With files from Aaron Schulze/CFJC Today

by Victor Kaisar

UPDATE: Police, BCCOS issue multiple campfire ban violation tickets across B.C.

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