The BC Wildfire Service [BCWS] announced a campfire ban for the Coastal Fire Centre, which includes Squamish and the rest of the Sea to Sky Corridor.
The Category 1 campfire ban went into effect at noon Thursday, June 8, which comes on top of the ban already in place for Category 2 and 3 fires.
“These prohibitions apply to all public and private land within the Coastal Fire Centre jurisdiction, unless specified otherwise in an enactment (e.g., in a local government bylaw). Always check with local government authorities to see if any other burning restrictions are in effect. All categories of open fire use are still permitted in Haida Gwaii Forest District,” reads a news release from the BCWS.
A Category 1 fire is considered a campfire smaller than half a metre in height and width.
Category 2 is an open fire with some of the following characteristics:
- Burns material in one pile not exceeding 2 metre in height and 3 metre in width
- Burns material concurrently in 2 piles each not exceeding 2 metre in height and 3 metre in width
- Burns stubble or grass over an area that does not exceed 0.2 hectares
Category 3 is also an open fire with the following characteristics:
- Material concurrently in 3 or more piles each not exceeding 2 metre in height and 3 metre in width
- Material in one or more piles each exceeding 2 metre in height or 3 metre in width
- One or more windrows, each not exceeding 200 metre in length or 15 metre in width
- Stubble or grass over an area exceeding 0.2 hectares
The ban will be in place until Oct. 31, 2023, or until the order is rescinded prior to that.
Also included in the ban are:
- Fireworks
- Sky lanterns
- Burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description
- Binary exploding targets
- Air curtain burners
- Tiki and similar kinds of torches
- Chimineas
This ban comes after a smoky skies bulletin was posted for the Metro Vancouver region on June 7, as well as parts of Vancouver Island.
Within the Coastal Fire Centre, there are currently two wildfires of note, which are defined as “highly visible” or “potential threat to public safety.”
One is located near Port Alberni on Vancouver Island and is being referred to as the Cameron Bluffs fire. It is approximately 140 hectares in size, with two attack crews battling the blaze.
Another is located north of Chilliwack and west of Harrison Lake and is being referred to as the Chehalis River fire. It is approximately 800 hectares in size but has held since the evening of June 7.
Both are suspected to be human-caused and no evacuation orders are in place.
