Nanaimo region is included in a partial campfire ban within the Coastal Fire Centre which begins at noon on Saturday (June 27).
Fires are prohibited within the coastal region, except for northern Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii and the mid-coast of the Lower Mainland.
A map of the affected areas is available online at http://bit.ly/1QRWpkp
This prohibition covers all B.C. Parks, Crown lands and private lands within the Coastal Fire Centre.
In a news release, the fire centre based in Parksville said it is implementing the partial ban due to dry forest fuel conditions and rising temperatures. The ban is intended to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.
The ban will remain in effect until the public is notified otherwise.
All other types of open fires remain prohibited throughout the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdictional area, including backyard burning or land-clearing burn piles. Burning barrels, burning cages, fireworks, firecrackers, sky lanterns and binary exploding targets are also prohibited.
The City of Nanaimo is following suit, instituting a complete burning ban in the city beginning Saturday at noon as well.
The Regional District of Nanaimo instituted a campfire ban at Descanso Bay Regional Park campground on Gabriola Island June 15. In addition, the RDN has banned smoking at all regional and community parks and trails within the region.
The public is reminded that outside of the two designated RDN campgrounds, fires of any kind are always prohibited in RDN regional and community parks and trails.
The prohibition from the Coastal Fire Centre does not apply to CSA-rated or ULC-rated cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes, or to a portable campfire apparatus that uses briquettes, liquid or gaseous fuel, so long as the height of the flame is less than 15 centimetres.
Anyone violating a burning ban can be fined $345 and required to pay a penalty of $10,000. If convicted in court, fines run up to $100,000 and one-year jail sentence. If the fire results in a wildfire, the person might be responsible for all associated firefighting costs.
To report a wildfire, please call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on a cellphone.