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Category 3 fire prohibition to start in Southeast Fire Centre
Effective at 1 p.m. MDT on Friday, May 17, Category 3 open burning will be prohibited throughout the Southeast Fire Centre, which includes the Rocky Mountain Natural Resource District and the Selkirk Natural Resource District.
The BC Wildfire Service is implementing this prohibition to help prevent wildfires caused by Category 3 open burning and to protect public safety. This prohibition will remain in place until the earlier of 1 p.m. MDT on October 28, 2024, or until the order is rescinded.
Anyone conducting Category 3 open fires within the Southeast Fire Centre’s jurisdiction must extinguish those fires by the Friday, May 17 deadline.
Specifically, this prohibition refers to the following activities:
“Category 3 open fire” which means an open fire that burns:
- material concurrently in three or more piles each not exceeding two m in height and three m in width;
- material in one or more piles each exceeding two m in height or three m in width;
- one or more windrows, each not exceeding 200 m in length or 15 m in width;
- stubble or grass over an area exceeding 0.2 ha.
This prohibition does not include Category 1 campfires or Category 2 open fires. Further information on the different types of open burning is available online.
This prohibition applies to all public and private land, unless specified otherwise (e.g., in a local government bylaw). Check with local government authorities for any other restrictions before lighting any fire.
Anyone found in contravention of an open fire prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of $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.
The Southeast Fire Centre would like to thank the public for its continued help in preventing wildfires.
To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cellphone. For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air-quality advisories, visit: bcwildfire.ca.
Lead image: A map indicating the areas affected by this prohibition. Southeast Fire Centre map
