Here's when and where campfire bans are coming into effect in B.C.
Campfire bans will come into effect Thursday for most of B.C. and remain in place until October, according to the BC Wildfire Service.
Category 1 bans have been announced for the Coastal Fire Centre, the Kamloops Fire Centre, the Prince George Fire Centre and the Cariboo Fire Centre.
"This prohibition is being enacted to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety," a bulletin from the service posted Tuesday explains. Also banned or restricted is the use of fireworks, "tiki" or similar torches, chimineas, or sky lanterns.
A campfire is defined as anything smaller than 0.5 metres wide and 0.5 metres tall. Larger open burning was already banned across the province as crews deal with a devastating start to the wildfire season.
"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, the wildfire service says.
"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."
The ban comes as the province continues to see unseasonably hot and dry weather and amid a concerning level of fire activity for this early in the season.
The Donnie Creek Complex in northeastern B.C. has already burned an area larger than last year’s entire fire season combined – roughly the size of the Lower Mainland – and the number of fires so far is well above the same period last year, as well as the 10-year average.
Natural Resources Canada’s Fire Weather Index shows nearly half the province in the top danger range, with the BC Wildfire Service’s “Danger rating map” showing two-thirds of the province as moderate to high risk of wildfire, with pockets of extreme risk.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Penny Daflos.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.