Latest news with #KimberlyKelly
CBC
16-07-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Campfires to be banned on B.C.'s South Coast as hot spell continues
Campfires will be prohibited starting Thursday at noon PT on B.C.'s South Coast as the region continues to swelter under an extended hot spell. The B.C. Wildfire Service's (BCWS) Coastal Fire Centre announced the campfire ban on Tuesday, which will apply to the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. BCWS maps from Tuesday showed extreme fire danger for the southern tip of Vancouver Island. The ban will not apply to Haida Gwaii and parts of the Central Coast, including Bella Coola. It comes due to a period of elevated temperatures on the South Coast, with fire information officer Kimberly Kelly saying the ban was in the interest of public safety. "We have seen hot dry conditions persist, and over the last 48 hours, an outflow weather pattern developed, which is bringing that hot dry air down from the Interior," she said Tuesday afternoon. "We've seen above seasonal temperatures, low relative humidities, and that means that our fine forest fuels are not recovering overnight with less moisture in the air." WATCH | High temperatures on the South Coast: How are Vancouverites staying cool while enjoying the heat? 19 hours ago Campfires — which fall under Category 1 fires, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service — are fires that are no more than half a metre high by half a metre wide, though outdoor stoves will still be allowed under the campfire ban. Anyone breaching the ban could be hit with a $1,150 violation ticket, an administrative penalty of up to $10,000, or fines of up to $100,000 and one year in jail if convicted in court. Larger Category 2 and Category 3 fires — which include larger stubble fires and large burn piles — are already prohibited throughout B.C. Kelly says the ban will be in place until Oct. 31, but it could be rescinded before then if there is a lot of rain or lower temperatures. She says there have been 71 fires so far this year in the Coastal Fire Centre, compared to 50 blazes at this point in 2024. All but one of the wildfires this year was caused by human activity, according to the officer. "Human-caused wildfires are completely preventable. So we do again urge the public to please be responsible," she said. "We would really like to support our crews in reserving them for lightning-caused wildfires, which we cannot prevent, and the public plays a really big role in that." Evacuation alerts lifted Elsewhere in B.C., the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen has rescinded multiple evacuation alerts as the threat from a series of wildfires appears to have passed. The August Lake wildfire near Princeton, B.C., is listed as "being held" and the alert for residents that was in place since Saturday has been lifted. Residents of about 30 properties were previously ordered evacuated due to the fire, which is listed by the wildfire services as 14 hectares in size as of Tuesday evening. The nearby Princeton Golf Club said in a post online that news of the alert being lifted is a "big relief for everyone in the area" and it is grateful for the efforts of firefighters and air personnel. The regional district also lifted an evacuation alert for Cathedral Provincial Park due to the Young Creek wildfire, saying the threat to safety has passed.
CTV News
15-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
Campfire ban coming for B.C.'s Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island this week
A campfire is pictured in the Broken Group Islands off the west coast of Vancouver Island in this undated image. (shutterstock) A campfire ban will take effect across much of the Coastal Fire Centre later this week, according to a B.C. Wildfire Service spokesperson. Fire information officer Kimberly Kelly told CTV News on Tuesday that the Category 1 fire ban will take effect Thursday at noon for all areas of the Coastal Fire Centre except the mid-coast and Haida Gwaii. The Coastal Fire Centre encompasses the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast and other coastal areas of the province as far north as Bella Coola. A Category 1 fire is defined as a campfire no larger than half a metre wide by half a metre high. Bans on larger Category 2 and 3 open burning have been in place for most of the Coastal Fire Centre since the end of May. Campfire bans imposed by the wildfire service typically apply to areas outside of municipal control. Municipalities have the authority to implement their own fire prevention rules within their boundaries. Open fires are the largest source of human-caused fires in B.C., according to the wildfire service. Bans on open burning are implemented to reduce the likelihood of human-caused fires during times when an increase in lightning-caused fires is anticipated. 'Anyone found in contravention of an open fire prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of $10,000, or, if convicted in court, fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced for up to one year in jail,' the wildfire service says on its website. 'If your fire causes or contributes to a wildfire, you may be fined up to $1 million and/or sentenced to up to three years in jail, as well as be responsible for all firefighting and associated costs.'
