Campfire ban implemented for parts of B.C.'s South Coast
Effective noon on Saturday June 27, campfires will be banned across B.C. parks, Crown lands and private lands
A campfire ban has been implemented across parts of the South Coast of B.C. as dry forest conditions and increasing temperatures raise the wildfire risk.
Effective noon on Saturday June 27, campfires will be banned across B.C. parks, Crown lands and private lands south of Knight Inlet on the mainland.
- B.C.'s Coastal Fire Centre has released a map of the areas affected. Mobile users can view it here.
On Vancouver Island, the ban covers everywhere south of Robson Bight, south of the Nimpkish Valley and south of Nordstrom Creek, except an area known as the "Fog Zone" near Port Renfrew.
Northern Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii and the mid-coast portion of the mainland are all exempt from the ban.
"Most of Vancouver Island is prohibited from having campfires," Marg Drysdale of the Coastal Fire Centre told CBC News.
"On the mainland, in the coastal fire centre anything south of Knight's Inlet is not allowed to have a campfire so we really want people to understand that it is the majority of the coastal fire centre that is banning campfires."
Drysdale says it will take substantial rainfall before the ban will be lifted, and that campers should be prepared.
"Please be very aware that if you are going camping this weekend you are likely not allowed to have a campfire."
The ban does not extend to municipalities with their own wildfire prevention bylaws in place and serviced by a fire department, though many municipalities have already implemented their own restrictions.
Portable stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes, liquid or gaseous fuel are still allowed, so long as the height of the flame is less than 15 centimetres.
Anyone found in contravention of the ban can be issued a ticket for $345, may be 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.
They could also be liable for all firefighting costs should their campfire contribute to a wildfire.
With files from Chad Pawson