A fire ban comes in place for much of the south coast starting Thursday (July 16) at noon.
Category 1, 2 and 3 open fires will be prohibited through much of the Coastal Fire Centre jurisdiction, with exceptions for campfires in parts of the North Island and Sunshine Coast.
“Conditions are continually monitored, and restrictions are implemented where they are needed most to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires and help protect communities, responders and our forests,” BC Wildfire Service said in an alert.
The Coastal Fire Centre, encompasses approximately 13 million hectares of land, extending west of the highest point on the Coast Mountain range from the border at Manning Park to the northern border of South Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, the Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and Haida Gwaii.
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The presence of six distinctly different microclimates in the area gives rise to vastly different fuel types and fire danger ratings. Small campfires will still be allowed in the Campbell River Forest District, North Island Central Coast Forest District, Haida Gwaii Forest District and Sunshine Coast Forest District.
“These areas are currently experiencing different weather and fuel conditions than other parts of the Coastal Fire Centre, with fire danger ratings and fire weather indices indicating a lower wildfire risk at this time,” the service explained.
Adding Category 1, or campfires, expands on the already prohibited Category 2 and 3 open fires. It also includes no fireworks, binary exploding targets, controlled air incinerators and air curtain burners.
Municipalities and regional districts may follow BC Wildfire Service prohibitions or impose different prohibitions based on conditions in their local area.
Warming and drying conditions were expected to continue, spreading further north and west across the province, with rising temperatures and low precipitation expected to further dry fuels, increasing the likelihood of wildfire starts, the province said Monday (July 13).
As of July 14, there were 23 active wildfires across the province.
Anyone can report a wildfire unattended campfire or open burning violation by calling 1 800 663-5555 or *5555 on a cell phone.
Find the latest information at wildfiresituation.nrs.gov.bc.ca.
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About the Author: Christine van Reeuwyk
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