06/08/2023
Help protect our island and prevent wildfires.
Effective at noon today, Thursday, June 8, 2023, campfires will be prohibited on Salt Spring Island.
This prohibition is being enacted to help prevent human caused wildfires and protect public safety.
Category 1, Category 2, and Category 3 open fires will be prohibited on Salt Spring Island. This prohibition will be in place until October 31, 2023, or until the order is rescinded.
Specifically, this prohibition refers to the following activities:
- “Category 1 open fire” (campfires)
- “Category 2 open fire” (backyard and incinerator burning)
- “Category 3 open fire” (machine pile)
In addition to open fires being prohibited, the following activities and equipment are also restricted:
- Fireworks;
- Sky Lanterns;
- Burn Barrels or Burn Cages of any size or description;
- Binary Exploding Targets;
- Air curtain burners;
- Tiki and similar kind of torches; and
- Chimineas.
This prohibition does not include the use of outdoor stoves. As per the Wildfire Regulation, an outdoor stove is a CSA-rated or ULC-rated device used outdoors for cooking, heat or ambiance that burns charcoal briquettes, liquid fuel, or gaseous fuel, and has a flame height that is less than 15 cm tall.
Anyone who lights, fuels, or uses an open fire when a fire prohibition is in place or fails to comply with an open fire prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150 or, if convicted in court, be fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to one year in jail. If the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be subject to a penalty of up to $100,000 and ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.
To report a wildfire, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cell phone. For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, go to: http://www.bcwildfire.ca
