Category 2 an 3 open burning will be prohibited beginning 12 p.m. (noon) on Friday, May 17, 2024 in the Coastal Fire Centre.
Before lighting a fire of any size, please check with your local jurisdiction (municipality, First Nations, etc.) as they may have their own restrictions in place.
Campfires that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide or smaller are not prohibited at this point.
The Coastal Fire Centre covers all 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.
Anyone found in contravention of an open fire prohibition may be issued a violation 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.
To report a wildfire, unattended campfire, or open fire violation, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cell phone. For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, visit the BC Wildfire Service website.
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