Category 1 campfires will be prohibited throughout the Cariboo as of Friday at noon.
Madison Dahl, a Fire Information Officer at the Cariboo Fire Centre, says there was also a campfire prohibition in place between June 8th and 16th.
She says people will still be able to use outdoor stoves.
“The campfire prohibition does not include the use of outdoor stoves. In accordance with the wildfire regulations, an outdoor stove is a CSA or ULC-rated device used outdoors for cooking and ambiance. It has to burn charcoal or briquettes, liquid fuel or gas, and the flame height has to be less than 15 cm tall.”
The prohibition also includes the Tsilhqot’in (Xeni Gewt’in) Declared Title Area
Dahl says a lot goes into making the decision to prohibit campfires.
“When we decide to implement a campfire prohibition we take into consideration multiple factors including the current and forecasted weather conditions, fire behavior, resource availability, and there is something called the buildup index.”
Dahl says the current fire danger rating in the Cariboo Fire Centre region varies.
“The fire danger rating within the Cariboo Fire Centre right now is listed as mostly moderate. There are definitely pockets of high and some pockets of extreme and those do fluctuate.’
A Category 2 and Category 3 fire prohibition is also in place in the Cariboo right now.
Anyone found to be in contravention of an open-burning prohibition may be issued a violation ticket for $1,150, may be required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $10,000 or, if convicted in court, may be fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to a 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.
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