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The BC Wildfire Service says it will be enacting a summer-long category 3 open fire prohibition in the Kamloops Fire Centre starting later this week.
The prohibition covers burns that exceed two metres in height and three metres wide, three or more concurrent piles not exceeding two metres high and three metres wide, one or more windrows that don’t exceed 200 metres long and 15 metres wide and stubble or grass over an area exceeding 0.2 hectares.
All areas in the Kamloops Fire Centre outside of municipal boundaries are covered by the ban, including parks, recreation sites and trails, ecological reserves, wildlife management areas and private managed forest land, among others.
BCWS said the ban is being enacted to prevent human-caused wildfires and to protect public safety. The prohibition will take effect at noon on Friday and remain in effect until Oct. 17.
Category 1 campfires and category 2 open fires are not prohibited under the ban.
“Municipalities often follow BC Wildfire Service prohibitions or may impose different prohibitions based on conditions in their local area. If you are in a municipality, be sure to check if local prohibitions are in place,” BCWS said in a news release.
“If you are within a regional district or improvement district, this prohibition applies as well as any local prohibition.”
All category 3 fires must be extinguished before the May 16 deadline. Anyone found breaching the ban may be issued a ticket for $1,150 or may be required to pay administrative penalty of up to $10,000, or, if convicted in court, fined up to $100,000 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,” BCWS said.
A wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation can be reported by calling 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on a cell phone.
More information on category 3 open fire prohibitions can be found online.
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