Fire Ban in Effect Starting Today

4/16/2020

Image - Submitted by the BC Government

COVID-19 and wildfire response

Effective today at noon (Pacific time) on Thursday, April 16, 2020, most open burning activities will be prohibited throughout British Columbia - including on the ALR - to reduce the likelihood of human-caused wildfires, although campfires will still be allowed.

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
Fireworks
Sky lanterns
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 including the ALR within British Columbia, unless specified otherwise (e.g., in a local government bylaw). Check with local government authorities for any other restrictions before lighting any fire.

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 Service's 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 Control's recommendation to help reduce excess air pollution in airsheds throughout the province.