It’s time to bring out the propane-fueled portable campfires.
A campfire ban takes effect Thursday at noon in the coastal fire region, including the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, sea-to-sky area, Sunshine Coast. It doen’t include Haida Gwaii and the “fog zone,” from Owen Point to Port Hardy.
The ban comes after weeks of increasing temperatures and little-to-no rain in the region. A campfire ban is already in effect in the Cariboo Fire Centre region.
The ban includes:
- Campfires.
- Category 2 open fires.
- Category 3 open fires.
- The use of tiki torches, fireworks, firecrackers, sky lanterns, burning barrels or burning cages of any size or description.
- Fires burning woody debris in outdoor stoves.
- The use of binary exploding targets.
The prohibition does not ban cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes.
The fine for ignoring a fire ban is $1,150. If convicted in court, an additional fine can be up to $100,000 and a sentence of one year in jail.
If the fire causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be subject to a penalty of up to $100,000 and ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.
@ashwadhwani
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca
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