A ban on Category 3 open fires will take effect at 12:00 p.m. PT tomorrow, (May 21), across the Southeast Fire Centre, including the Rocky Mountain and Selkirk Natural Resource Districts.
This will include the East Kootenays region as it aims to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.
A Category 3 open fire is a fire that burns:
- Material concurrently in 3 or more piles, each not exceeding 2 metres in height and 3 metres in width
- Material in one or more piles, each exceeding 2 metres in height and 3 metres in width
- One or more windrows each not exceeding 200 metres in length or 15 metres in width
- Stubble or grass over an area exceeding 0.2 hectares
Air curtain burners and cabonizers will also be prohibited during this time.
It does not include Category 1 campfires or Category 2 open fires.
The Southeast Fire Centre is asking anyone who conducted a Category 3 pile burn over the fall or winter to check their burn site is fully extinguished.
If caught disobeying this ban you may face a $1,150 fine, required to pay an administrative penalty of $10,000, or, if convicted in court, fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced for up to one year in jail.
The Category 3 ban in the Southeast Fire Centre will continue until either October 31 or unless lifted earlier.
To report a wildfire call 5555 on a cell phone, dial 1 800 663-5555 or report through the BC Wildfire App.
For more information on the ban visit BC Wildfire Service.
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