Barbecues heavily restricted in parks as fire danger extreme throughout Lower Mainland

An extended drought has driven the fire risk to extreme, with municipal officials introducing sweeping bans on barbecues and cooking stoves in Lower Mainland parks and green spaces.

All 23 regional parks administered under Metro Vancouver, including Grouse Mountain, Tynehead, Pacific Spirit and Burnaby Lake, are under extreme fire risk due to “continued dry weather (that) has resulted in conditions that are tinder dry and extremely sensitive to sparks and fire.”

Briquette barbecues are banned, and officials are only allowing gas barbecues in day-use areas, where they must be attended at all times.

Park trails are clearly labeled with "extreme fire danger" signs admonishing hikers not to smoke.

On the North Shore, local fire chiefs issued a joint notice on Friday that all barbecues, outdoor ovens and burners of any kind are strictly prohibited at parks and beaches, and they’re asking people to keep any garbage that could catch fire off the ground and in trash cans or recycling bins.

“Strong sunshine through a discarded bottle or jar can act as a magnifying glass and start fires,” they note, reminding people that smoking and open fires are also banned in West Vancouver, the City of North Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver. 

City of North Vancouver fire chief Greg Shalke told CTV News much of the region was classified as having an extreme wildfire risk on Friday, warning: "Every little bit of ignition can really ignite a wildfire or some sort of interface fire that can ignite quickly and become a big problem for us."

Signage at North Shore parks indicates a $500 fine for anyone caught using a propane barbecue.

The city of Maple Ridge has also issued an “Extreme Fire Danger Rating Warning.” On Friday, the city announced it is restricting industrial activities within 300 metres of forests and will no longer allow flail mowing, including of its own ditches.

These measures are all in addition to a campfire ban throughout the province, except for Haida Gwaii, which applies to all public and private lands. 

In the past couple of weeks, a highly visible fire on Mount Seymour prompted hundreds of 911 calls and aggressive firefighting response to control the blaze, while another fire in Pitt Meadows was also swiftly attacked by aerial fire crews after it was discovered in the Grant Narrows area of Pitt Lake.