Recent hot, dry weather is prompting officials to urge citizens to be extremely careful when outdoors to avoid starting a fire in the forest.
Last Thursday (July 18), the District of Squamish placed an open fire ban on all areas within district boundaries. At the same time, officials with the Coastal Fire Centre's Wildfire Management Branch raised the fire hazard rating to extreme though by this week the hazard was down to either high or moderate in the Squamish area, depending on the location.
The DOS fire ban, which was still in effect as The Chief went to press, applies to all open fires, campfires, wood-burning pits and backyard fireplaces on public and private lands. The regulation does not restrict the use of gas or propane-fuelled stoves manufactured for heating or cooking, officials said.
As of Tuesday (July 23), all open fires were banned in areas outside DOS boundaries, but campfires were permitted as long as they were confined to approved fire pits, including those in provincial park campgrounds, according to the B.C. Wildfire Management Branch website.
That, however, doesn't mean that those enjoying campfires can leave them unattended, said Marg Drysdale, fire information officer with the Coastal Fire Centre.
We just ask that people be aware of what they're doing and to monitor their campfires at all times. If you are not on your site and monitoring it, you must put it out, she said.
The number of abandoned campfires is a real concern. Some people assume that if they're in that ring, they can just let them die. But you must put it out. If you leave them and the wind hits them, those fires can re-ignite.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the immediate Squamish area was in the moderate fire-hazard rating zone. That, Drysdale said, is probably because, being so close to the ocean, fog and dew often accumulate in the morning hours. The area outside the district was rated high, while the area surrounding Whistler was rated extreme.
In 2009, wildfire management officials imposed a ban on all backcountry travel because of the extreme risk of human-caused fires. So far this year, though, the number of fires reported across B.C. is below average 71 fires so far this year compared to the 10-year average of 105, Drysdale said.
For information about fire hazard ratings and fire restrictions, visit www.squamish.ca, www.bcparks.ca or bcwildfire.ca.
With files from Rebecca Aldous, The Chief
