A campfire ban goes into effect Friday, July 12 and noon after a stretch of hot and dry weather. The ban is province wide, with the exception of Haida Gwaii. (Dreamstime)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

wildfire season

Campfire ban issued after prolonged dry spell

Jul 10, 2024 | 8:56 AM

NANAIMO — Mother Nature has finally forced the hand of local and provincial fire officials.

One day after Nanaimo’s fire danger rating moved to ‘extreme’, with many areas of the Coastal Fire Centre listed at either ‘moderate’ or ‘high’, the province announced a B.C.-wide campfire prohibition, with the exception of Haida Gwaii, effective at noon on Friday, July 12.

Campfires are defined as open fires burning no more than a half metre by half metre in size, and their prohibition through the summer joins earlier bans of larger fires such as burn barrels, sky lanterns and fireworks.

“This prohibition does not include the use of outdoor stoves,” the Coastal Fire Centre noted in a release. “An outdoor stove is a CSA-rated or ULC-rated device used outdoors for cooking, heat or ambiance that burns charcoal briquettes, liquid fuel or gaseous fuel, and has a flame height that is less than 15 centimetres tall.

Fines for lighting, fuelling or using a prohibited fire range from an initial $1,150 to upwards of $100,000 and/or a year in jail if court proceedings are required.

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If a wildfire is sparked as a direct result of an illegal fire, the person found responsible may be penalized an additional $100,000 and ordered to pay for all fire suppression efforts and associated costs.

As of Wednesday, July 10, no fires were burning in the Coastal Fire Centre, including all of Vancouver Island.

A majority of the open and active fires were in the province’s northeastern corner however a wildfire of note had developed in the last 24 hours northeast of Terrace, growing to over 130 hectares in size.

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