Effective at noon today (Aug. 11), the ban on campfires is over for the Prince George and Northwest Fire Centres, the Ministry of Forests and B.C. Wildfire Service said in a release Friday.
That area covers the entire northeast corner of the province, from Prince George east to the Alberta border, north through the Peace and Fort Nelson to the Yukon border. While Fort St. James, Vanderhoof and Mackenzie are covered, the lifting of the ban does not apply to Quesnel or Burns Lake, according to a map provided with the statement.
A Category 1 fire, or campfire, is defined as an open fire that burns piled material no larger than 0.5 metres high by 0.5 metres wide.
The ban on fireworks, sky lanterns, burn barrels or burn cages of any size and other larger open fires remains in place.
Campfires must have the following precautions in place:
- Ready access to a shovel or at least eight litres of water the entirety of the time the campfire is lit
- a fuel break around the campfire, free of any debris or combustible materials
- the fire is fully extinguished and the ashes are cold to the touch before leaving the campfire for any length of time.
