An open burning ban is scheduled to go into effect throughout the Coastal Fire Centre as of noon Thursday to reduce wildfire risks and protect public safety.
The ban applies to Category 2 open burns -- that is piles of materials smaller than 2 metres high and 3 metres wide; the burning of stubble or grass over an area under 2,000 square metres;
the use of fireworks, firecrackers, sky lanterns, burning barrels or burning cages; and the use of binary exploding targets -- such as for rifle target practice.
The penalty for contravening the ban is costly. Violators can be hit with a $1,150 ticket, may be required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $10,000 or -- if convicted in court -- could be fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to one year in jail.
And if the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible could be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.
The prohibition does not apply to larger Category 3 fires -- or 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.
The Coastal Fire Centre reminds anyone lighting a campfire to maintain a fireguard by removing flammable debris, and to have a hand tool or at least 8 litres of water available to properly extinguish the fire.
The Coastal Fire Centre covers all of the area west of the height of land on the Coast Mountain Range from the U.S.-Canada border at Manning Park, including Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park in the north, the Sunshine Coast, the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and Haida Gwaii.