(Editor's note: the following is an unedited news release e-mailed to The NEWS at 1 p.m. Friday from the government of B.C. Check with your local municipal government — RDN, Parksville, Qualicum Beach — for more specific details about fire bans. We added the City of Parksville's news release that came to us Friday at 2:25 p.m. to the bottom of this story, along with an RDN news release that we received at 2:45 p.m.Friday. Temperatures in the Parksville Qualicum Beach region are expected to reach 30 degrees this weekend — please keep hydrated, protected from the sun and be careful with all burning materials.-JH)
PARKSVILLE - Effective at noon on Saturday, June 27, 2015 within the
Coastal Fire Centre's jurisdiction, campfires will only be allowed on
northern Vancouver Island, the mid-coast portion of the mainland and on
Haida Gwaii.
The Coastal Fire Centre is implementing this partial campfire ban due
to dry forest fuel conditions and rising temperatures. It is intended
to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety, and
it will remain in effect until the public is notified otherwise.
This prohibition covers all BC Parks, Crown lands and private lands
within the Coastal Fire Centre, within the following areas:
On Vancouver Island:
* South of Robson Bight
* South of the Nimpkish Valley
* South of Nordstrom Creek on Brooks Peninsula on the outer coast of
Vancouver Island, with the exception of the area known as the "Fog
Zone" (The Fog Zone is a band of land two kilometres wide that runs
south from Nordstrom Creek to Owen Point near Port Renfrew.)
On the mainland
* South of Knight Inlet
A map of the affected areas is available online at:
http://bit.ly/1QRWpkp
All other types of open fires remain prohibited throughout the Coastal
Fire Centre's jurisdictional area, including backyard burning or land-
clearing burn piles. Burning barrels, burning cages, fireworks,
firecrackers, sky lanterns and binary exploding targets are also
prohibited.
This prohibition does not apply within the boundaries of a local
government that has wildfire prevention bylaws in place and is serviced
by a fire department. However, since local governments may have their
own burning regulations in place, always check with local authorities
before lightning a fire of any size.
This prohibition does not apply to CSA-rated or ULC-rated cooking
stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes, or to a portable campfire
apparatus that uses briquettes, liquid or gaseous fuel, so long as the
height of the flame is less than 15 centimetres.
Anyone found in contravention of an open burning prohibition may be
issued a ticket for $345, 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. If the contravention causes or
contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be ordered to pay
all firefighting and associated costs.
Learn more about open burning and current burning prohibitions at
http://bcwildfire.ca/hprScripts/WildfireNews/Bans.asp
The Coastal Fire Centre covers all of the area west of the height of
land on the Coast Mountain Range from the U.S.-Canada border at Manning
Park, including Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park in the north, the
Sunshine Coast, the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands
and Haida Gwaii.
To report a wildfire, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a
cellphone.
For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning
restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, go to
http://www.bcwildfire.ca
You can also follow the latest wildfire news on:
* Twitter at https://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo
* Facebook at http://facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo
Campfire Ban in Effect June 27 - Parksville Fire Protection Area
PARKSVILLE, BC ― Effective at noon on Saturday, June 27 and until further notice, all open burning, including campfires, is banned in the City of Parksville and the surrounding fire protection area. The fire protection area encompasses the City of Parksville, French Creek areas bordering the City of Parksville to the edge of the fire protection area at Johnston and Drew Roads, San Pariel, and Fourneau Road and Martindale Road areas.
This ban applies to open fires of any size, campfires, fireworks, firecrackers, sky lanterns, tiki torches, burning barrels and binary exploding targets. All other types of open fires remain prohibited throughout the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdictional area including backyard burning or land-clearing burn piles. The ban does not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes, or to portable campfire apparatus with a CSA or ULC rating using briquettes, liquid or gaseous fuel that are not capable of producing a flame longer than 15 centimetres. Portable campfire apparatus that do not meet these conditions are prohibited.
The Coastal Fire Centre is implementing this partial campfire ban (campfires only allowed on northern Vancouver Island, the mid-coast portion of the mainland and on Haida Gwaii) due to dry forest fuel conditions and rising temperatures. It is intended to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety. A map of the affected areas is available online at: http://bit.ly/1QRWpkp
This ban has been implemented by the Fire Chief in conjunction with the ban implemented by the BC Forest Service covering the South Coast. For the latest information on fire activity, conditions and prohibitions, visit the Wildfire Management Branch website at www.bcwildfire.ca or http://bcwildfire.ca/hprScripts/WildfireNews/Bans.asp
To report an open fire call 250 248-3242; to report a fire emergency call 911 and to report a wildfire, call 1 800 663-5555 or *5555 on a cellphone.
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For more information:
Fire Chief Doug Banks 250 248-3242
Deputy Fire Chief Marc Norris 250 248-3242
SMOKING BAN IN EFFECT NOW FOR ALL RDN PARKS AND TRAILS and CAMPFIRE BAN ‘ON’ SATURDAY AT HORNE LAKE REGIONAL PARK
The Regional District of Nanaimo is enacting a campfire ban at Horne Lake Regional Park’s campground. The ban will take effect at noon, Saturday June 27th. This action is in keeping with the campfire ban directive released today by the Coastal Fire Centre for the entire Fire Centre area. In addition and effective immediately, the RDN is banning smoking at all regional and community parks and trails within the Region.
A campfire ban at the RDN’s Descanso Bay Regional Park campground on Gabriola Island was put in place Monday, June 15th.
The public is reminded that outside of the two designated RDN campgrounds, fires of any kind are always prohibited in RDN regional and community parks and trails.
The Coastal Fire Centre advises that forest fuels are unseasonably dry. Dry fine fuels combined with the windy weather being experienced on southeast Vancouver Island make for high wildfire risk. Play safe and help protect our forests.
To report a wildfire call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on most cellular networks.
For RDN park and trail updates, including the status of campfire bans, visit http://www.rdn.bc.ca/cms.asp?wpID=2007.