Prince George, B.C. – As of noon today, campfires will be banned throughout B.C. with the exception of  the  western coastline of Vancouver Island.Since April 1st of this year,  there have been 779  wildfires in the province,  32 new  ones reported on July 1st alone.  The fires  have  destroyed nearly  85 thousand hectares, most of  which (nearly 71 thousand hectares) are located in the Prince George Fire Centre.

With the fire danger rating  sitting at high to extreme throughout  most of  the province,  the  Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources has issued a ban on all open burning, including  campfires and  fireworks for nearly all of BC with the exception of the area known as the ‘Fog Zone’ along the western coast of Vancouver Island. (marked by a  bright  pink line on map at right)  The map at right  shows  the full extent of the fire ban , as all salmon coloured regions are under the ban.   ( map courtesy  BC Wildfire Management  Branch)

The Wildfire Management Branch is battling  more than 150 active fires in B.C.,  and any  human caused fires  would divert  personnel and  resources away  from  other  incidents.
This ban applies to:

* open fires of any size, including campfires;

* the use of fireworks, sky lanterns and tiki torches;

* burning barrels or burning cages of any size or description;

* the use of binary exploding targets (e.g., for rifle target practice); and

* the use of air curtain burners (forced-air burning systems).

This prohibition does not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes. It also does not apply to a portable campfire apparatus with a CSA or ULC rating that uses briquettes, liquid or gaseous fuel, with a flame length of 15 centimetres or less. The use of this equipment may be prohibited locally and at a later time if deemed necessary.

This prohibition covers all BC Parks, Crown and private lands, but does not apply within the boundaries of local governments that have forest fire prevention bylaws and are serviced by a fire department.