Provincial forest fire officials may declare some campfire bans as early as this week on the B.C. coast in response to drought conditions.
In the meantime, they are warning while campfires remain legal they should be kept small, about the size of a camp cooler. Bonfires, party fires or other large fires are not allowed.
Donna MacPherson, fire information officer with the Coastal Fire Centre in Parksville, says decisions about any bans on campfires would be made in the days ahead, before the upcoming Canada Day long weekend.
“But it’s a good time to let people know if you are enjoying a campfire now do it safely,” says MacPherson. “Keep it small and put it out completely when you walk away.”
She says a safe campfire should be no wider than 1/2 metre, roughly equal to the size of a small cooler. Anything bigger is not allowed.
MacPherson says the coastal area is now in a drought situation that began last fall.
Neither the month of June nor the past winter brought the amount of rain normally expected for coastal B.C. So forests and ground conditions are dry.
MacPherson notes, however, Environment Canada has said coastal weather will be unsettled in coming days and will likely bring showers. Rain may dampen things down.
Here in Kamloops, the Kamloops Fire Centre has declared a ban on Category 2 and 3 burnings.
— Richard Watts, Times Colonist
