B.C.'s campfire ban begins Friday amid heightened wildfire risk

B.C.'s fire ban comes into effect on Friday as the province looks to smother the chances of human-caused wildfires.

At noon, the province will begin enforcing the ban which includes open fires including campfires, sky lanterns, burn barrels and tiki torches.

Those who are caught violating the ban could face a $1,150 ticket, be required to pay a $10,000 administrative penalty, or, if convicted in court, could be fined up to $100,000 or spend a year in jail.

The BC Wildfire Service is reporting 150 wildfires are currently burning in the province with 15 being sparked in the last 24 hours.

As of Friday morning, 46 per cent are out of control, while 49 per cent are under control. The remaining five per cent are being held.

Seventy-seven per cent of the fires are reported to be caused by lightning and 15 per cent by humans.

The wildfire service says 551 fire fighters are assigned to the blazes, along with 132 aviation units, two incident teams, four heavy equipment operators and 14 members of structural protection.