Permit needed for burn piles

Photo: RDCO

With sunny skies and warm temperatures quickly drying out the once-frozen Okanagan, a reminder has been issued about open burning.

After some complaints in the area about illegal burning, the Regional District of Central Okanagan is reminding residents that only those people on at least one hectare of land are eligible to have large fires outdoors.

“These tend to be large piles of prunings and things like that that people have collected, or if they have a large property, they've done their own fuel modification and cleanup on the ground,” said Bruce Smith, communications with the RDCO.

“A campfire is a much smaller contained fire and these are larger burn piles.”

Those on a large enough property must still obtain a permit from their local fire authority before open burning, and then they can only burn on particular days when the air quality and venting is adequate.

The standard open burning season runs from Oct. 1 to April 30, but Smith says the local fire chiefs may close the open burning season early, or extend it later, depending on the fire hazard.

For those burning on a proper day with a permit, Smith suggests waiting until 10 a.m. until lighting the blaze, as that's when proper ventilation usually begins.

All prunings, branches and stumps must be dried for at least two years before they're burned.

Meanwhile, campfires and other outdoor wood burning devices are prohibited within the City of Kelowna limits.