Overview

• The ban prohibits Category 2 and 3 open fires—such as burn barrels, fireworks and controlled air incinerators—from May 30 until at least October 31.
• Category 1 campfires no larger than half a metre in both height and width and outdoor cooking stoves remain legal under the new rules.
• The restrictions apply across the Coastal Fire Centre region—covering Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, Gulf Islands and Sunshine Coast—but exclude Haida Gwaii.
• Non-compliance carries penalties ranging from a $1,150 ticket and up to $10,000 in administrative fees to court fines of $100,000 and up to one year in jail, with liable parties potentially required to cover wildfire suppression costs.
• Officials reported 11 new blazes in the past 24 hours, raising the total to 45 active wildfires in British Columbia and underscoring heightened fire danger.