Effective at noon on Friday, July 7, campfires are prohibited throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre, including Vernon, to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.
The City of Vernon will follow the request of BC Wildfire Service. This ban applies to all areas of Vernon including the Foothills and Blue Jay subdivisions, Predator Ridge, Canadian Lake Estates and the Okanagan Landing.
This campfire ban will remain in place until the public is otherwise notified.
The Kamloops Fire Centre is currently experiencing hot and dry conditions and fire danger ratings are generally high or extreme throughout the fire centre. Prohibitions on Category 2 and Category 3 open fires are already in effect throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre.
To learn about the differences between campfires, Category 2 open fires and Category 3 open fires, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/wildfirebans or review the open fire regulations poster at: www.gov.bc.ca/openfireregs
Specifically, prohibited activities once the campfire ban takes effect will include:
- campfires, as defined in the wildfire regulation: www.gov.bc.ca/wildfirelegislation
- the burning of waste or other materials
- stubble or grass fires of any size over any area
- the use of fireworks, sky lanterns, tiki torches, chimineas, burning barrels or burning cages of any size or description
- the use of binary exploding targets (e.g., for target practice)
- the use of air curtain burners (forced air burning systems)
A map of the affected areas is available online: http://ow.ly/Hjq230drQyT
These prohibitions do not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes, or to a portable campfire apparatus with a CSA or ULC rating that uses briquettes, liquid or gaseous fuel - as long as the height of the flame is less than 15 centimetres. The use of a campfire apparatus that does not meet these specifications is prohibited.
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