Open burning restrictions announced in Kamloops Fire Centre

Photo: BC Wildfire Service

With the summer weather finally here, the provincial government has announced new fire restrictions in the Kamloops Fire Centre. 

Effective noon July 29, category 2 and 3 open fires will be prohibited throughout the zone. Anyone conducting open burns in the area must extinguish those fires prior to the deadline. 

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

In addition to category 2 and 3 fires; fireworks, sky lanterns, binary exploding targets and burn barrels will also be banned. 

Anyone found in contravention of an open burning prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $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.