A campfire ban came into effect for parts of coastal B.C. Friday at noon.
Donna MacPherson, a fire information officer for the coastal fire centre, said the ban will apply to open fires of any size and is designed to prevent human-caused wildfires.
The coastal fire centre covers more than two million hectares of land, including the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, and the Sunshine Coast.
"We're in high to extreme fire danger ratings throughout the coastal fire centre," MacPherson said in an interview.
"We've got pockets of extreme from Nanaimo on south to Victoria. We've got a pocket of extreme around Campbell River, and around Port Alberni as well. And we've also got a pocket of extreme in the Sea-to-Sky Highway around Whistler."
MacPherson said forest fuels are drying very quickly and some areas haven't had significant precipitation in two weeks. With no rain in the forecast, conditions are only expected to get worse.
The impending ban also applies to fireworks, tiki torches and burning barrels. It does not affect cooking stoves that run on gas, propane or briquettes. Campfire apparatus that isn't capable of producing a flame longer than 15 centimetres is also exempt.
MacPherson urged the public to use caution on forested land. She said British Columbians should take care when discarding cigarettes and limit use of all-terrain vehicles.
The ban covers all B.C. parks, Crown and private lands, but does not apply to local governments that have their own forest fire prevention bylaws.
Anyone who violates the open fire ban could face a fine of $345. If a wildfire occurs that person could be imprisoned for up to three years or be fined up to $1 million.
