Open burning restricted as of April 16 at noon

Effective at noon on Thursday, April 16, most open burning activities are prohibited throughout British Columbia to reduce the likelihood of human-caused wildfires.

The District of Squamish is implementing a ban on Category 2 and 3 open fires, in step with the provincial ban.

A Category 2 fire is defined by:

One to two concurrently burning piles no larger than 2 metres high by 3 metres wide;
Stubble or grass burning over an area less than 0.2 hectares

A Category 3 fire is defined by:

Any fire larger than 2 metres high by 3 metres wide
Three or more concurrently burning piles no larger than 2 metres high by 3 metres wide
One or more burning windrows
Stubble or grass burning over an area greater than 0.2 hectares

The prohibition does not apply to campfires that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide or smaller, or to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes. Campfires are allowed within the District of Squamish only on private property and only with a fire permit. Information on how to obtain a campfire permit can be found here.

The following activities will be prohibited, and these restrictions will remain in effect until the public is otherwise notified:

Category 2 open fires;
Category 3 open fires;
Resource Management open fires;
The use of fireworks;
The use of sky lanterns; and
The use of burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description (except when used for a campfire).

These prohibitions apply to all public and private land within British Columbia, unless specified otherwise.

A poster explaining the different categories of open burning is available online here.

BC Wildfire Service response during COVID-19

These open burning prohibitions will reduce demands on firefighting resources and help protect the health and safety of the public, as well as BC Wildfire Service staff. They will also help reduce the impact of wildfire smoke on air quality and public health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A strategic deployment of wildfire management resources is critical this fire season, so it is especially important to reduce the number of unnecessary, human-caused wildfires. It is vital BC Wildfire Service staff remain healthy to respond to wildfires throughout the 2020 season and ensure the BC Wildfire Services response capability is not affected.

During the current pandemic, larger open burns pose an unnecessary risk and could detract from wildfire detection and response capabilities. The open burning prohibitions coming into effect on April 16 should decrease the number of false alarms (where firefighters respond to a report of smoke, only to find the smoke is coming from a controlled burn and not from a wildfire).

These open burning prohibitions also support the BC Centre for Disease Controls recommendation to help reduce excess air pollution in airsheds throughout the province.

All illegal fires will be investigated, and charges may be laid under the Wildfire Act or Wildfire Regulation, depending on the outcome of the investigation.

Anyone found in contravention of an open burning prohibition may be issued a violation ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of $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 burning violation, call 1 800 663-5555 toll- free or *5555 on a cellphone.

For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, and air quality advisories, go to:http://www.bcwildfire.ca.

For the latest wildfire news follow https://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo or http://facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo.

Open burning restricted as of April 16 at noon

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