Category 3 open fires prohibition expanded Cariboo Fire Centre wide

Courtesy of the BC Wildfire Service:

Effective noon Monday, June 21, 2021, Category 3 open fires will be prohibited throughout the entire Cariboo Fire Centre region to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.

Specifically, prohibited activities that would constitute a Category 3 open fire include:

*any fires larger than two meters high by three meters wide;

*three or more concurrently burning piles no larger than two meters high by three meters wide;

*burning of one or more windrows; and

*burning of stubble or grass over an area greater than 0.2 hectares.

Anyone conducting a Category 3 open fire anywhere in the east of the Fraser River within the Cariboo Chilcotin Forest District’s and in the Quesnel Forest District must extinguish any such fire by noon Monday, June 21 2021. This prohibition will remain in place until Oct. 1, 2021, or until the public is otherwise notified.

Category 3 open fires have been prohibited throughout the 100 Mile Forest District since May 3, 2021 and the Cariboo Chilcotin Forest District and Tsilhqot’in (Xeni Gwet’in) Declared Title Area since May 31, 2021. This expansion into the Quesnel Forest District and the remaining area of the Cariboo Chilcotin Forest District will remain in place until Oct. 1, 2021, or until the public is otherwise notified.

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

This prohibition also does not ban Category 2 fires, which include one or two concurrently burning piles up to two metres high by three metres wide, or the burning of stubble or grass over an area less than 0.2 hectares.

A poster explaining the different categories of open burning is available online: http://ow.ly/znny309kJv5

The Category 3 open fire 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 in place and is serviced by a fire department. Check with local government authorities for any other restrictions before lighting any fire.

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.

A map of the affected areas is available online at: http://ow.ly/Qf4R30rL74q

Human-caused wildfires are completely preventable and divert critical resources away from lightning-caused fires. Always practice safe, responsible fire use where permitted.

*to report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cell phone.

*check with your local government or other jurisdictional authorities before lighting a fire of any size since they may have their own restrictions in place.

*anyone found in contravention of an open-burning prohibition may be issued a violation ticket for $1,150, may be required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $10,000 or, if convicted in court, may be 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.

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