Effective immediately, campfires will once again be permitted in Haida Gwaii and the area known as
the “Fog Zone” within the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction.
The Coastal Fire Centre is lifting the campfire prohibition in these
two areas only, due to the amount of precipitation recently received
there and prevailing marine climate conditions, particularly in the
“Fog Zone”.
A map of the affected areas is available online at:
http://bit.ly/1Ob1XSb
The Fog Zone is a two-kilometre-wide strip along the outer coast of
Vancouver Island, stretching from Owen Point (near Port Renfrew)
north to the tip of Vancouver Island and around to the boundary of
the District of Port Hardy. This strip extends inland two kilometres
from the high tide point. A map of the Fog Zone is available online
at: http://bit.ly/1GMvwnU
All other types of open fires remain prohibited throughout the
Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction, including backyard burning and
land-clearing burn piles. Burning barrels, burning cages, fireworks,
firecrackers, sky lanterns and binary exploding targets are also
prohibited.
For more information on the differences between
campfires, Category 2 fires and Category 3 fires, please visit:
http://bit.ly/1GlhE9l
The partial rescinding of the campfire prohibition applies to all BC
Parks, Crown lands and private lands, but does not apply within the
boundaries of a local government that has forest fire prevention
bylaws and is serviced by a fire department.
People lighting a campfire must maintain a fireguard by removing
flammable debris from the campfire area and they must have a hand
tool or at least eight litres of water available nearby to properly
extinguish the fire. They must fully extinguish the campfire and the
ashes must be cold to the touch before they leave the campfire site
for any length of time.
If a campfire escapes and it’s determined that it caused a wildfire,
the person(s) responsible may be liable for fire suppression costs
and damages.
The Coastal Fire Centre covers all of the area west of the height of
land on the Coast Mountain Range from the U.S.-Canada border at
Manning Park, including Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park in the
north, the Sunshine Coast, the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, the
Gulf Islands and Haida Gwaii.
To report a wildfire or unattended campfire, 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:
http://www.bcwildfire.ca
