Fire bans issued across 3 B.C. regions ahead of forecasted heat wave

With temperatures expected to climb past 30 C in parts of British Columbia this weekend, fire bans will be in place to prevent human-triggered disasters.

BC Wildfire Service announced Wednesday that Category 2 open fires will be prohibited across the Cariboo and Prince George fire centre regions, starting at noon on Thursday, May 11.

A ban on Category 3 open fires, which burn a larger square area, was issued for the same areas last week.

“This open burning prohibition will prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety,” BC Wildfire Service wrote in a notice on its website.

“This prohibition order does not apply to campfires that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide (or smaller) or cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes,” the notice continued.

The affected areas in the Cariboo Fire Centre region includes the Cariboo Chilcotin Forest District, the 100 Mile House Forest District, the Quesnel Forest District and the Tsilhqot’in (Xeni Gwet’in) Declared Title Area.

Fireworks, sky lanterns, burn barrels, burn cages, binary exploding targets and air curtain burners are listed online as the types of activities and equipment use that will be banned in the region as of May 11 and through to Oct. 27, “or until the order is rescinded.”

In Prince George, the same ban will be effective as of noon Thursday and until Oct. 15, unless BC Wildfire Service ends the order prematurely.

Starting Saturday at noon, a Category 2 and Category 3 fire prohibition is planned for the Northwest Fire Centre region, which covers the Bulkley and Nadina zones.

Under the ban, it’s prohibited to burn piles larger than two metres high by three metres wide, stubble or grass over an area less than 0.2 hectares, or one or more windrows, according to BC Wildfire Service.

Unless the public is otherwise notified, open fires will be banned in the region between May 13 and June 15.

The latest update posted by BC Wildfire Service shows there are 50 fires burning throughout the province., resulting in a burned area of about 11,500 hectares.

“Compare to the 20 year average, the number of wildfires experienced this spring season is normal,” BC Wildfire Service wrote on Twitter Wednesday.

“The number of hectares burned for this time of year is four times higher than usual, however 85 per cent of that area is a result of three wildfires in the northeast corner of the province,” the tweet continued.

The service expects this weekend’s summer-like conditions will break multiple mid-May temperature records.