Despite being a rainforest, even the North Coast has finally succumbed to the dry conditions that have already made 2023 the third-worst wildfire season on record.
As of today, all of B.C., except Haida Gwaii, is subject to a campfire ban. This includes all BC Parks, Crown lands and private lands.
“Human-caused wildfires are completely preventable and divert critical resources away from lightning-caused fires,” the Northwest Fire Centre noted in a release last night (July 10).
Prince Rupert Fire Rescue was quick to put up its own notice, advising residents of the city that the ban also applies within city limits.
Campfires have been illegal since the beginning of June in some other parts of the Northwest Fire Centre, which covers from Burns Lake to Prince Rupert and north to Yukon.
The ban also includes: Fireworks, including firecrackers; sky lanterns; burn barrels or burn cages of any size; binary exploding targets; air curtain burners; Tiki and similar kinds of torches; and chimineas.
It does not include outdoor stoves, which are defined as CSA-rated or ULC-rated devices used outdoors for cooking, heat or ambiance that burn charcoal briquettes, liquid fuel or gaseous fuel, and have a flame height of less than 15 centimetres.
The ban has been declared until Sept. 30 or until otherwise rescinded.
OTHER NEWS: B.C. port strike spills over, U.S. workers refuse to touch Canada cargo
thom.barker@blackpress.ca
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter