Burning Information

 FIRE DANGER RATING

(updated 08/21/2024)

Coastal Fire Centre Enacts Campfire Prohibition

Effective on Friday, July 12, 2024 at noon Pacific Daylight Time, campfires will be prohibited throughout the Coastal Fire Centre, except for the Haida Gwaii Forest District. This prohibition is being enacted to help prevent human caused wildfires and protect public safety.
These prohibitions apply to all public and private land within the Coastal Fire Centre jurisdiction, unless specified otherwise in an enactment (e.g., in a local government bylaw). Always check with local government authorities to see if any other burning restrictions are in effect. Category 2 and 3 open fires remain prohibited in Haida Gwaii Forest District.
This prohibition will be in place until Thursday, October 31, 2024 at 12:00 noon Pacific Daylight Time, or until the order is rescinded.
A map of the affected areas is available here.
On July 12, 2024 the types of open fires listed below are prohibited in the Coastal Fire Centre, with the exception of the Haida Gwaii Forest District:
  • Category 1 campfires as defined in the Wildfire Regulation;
  • Category 2 open fire as defined in the Wildfire Regulation; and,
  • Category 3 open fire as defined in the Wildfire Regulation.
In addition to campfires and open fires being prohibited, the following activities and equipment are also restricted:
  • Fireworks;
  • Sky Lanterns;
  • Burn Barrels or Burn Cages of any size or description;
  • Binary Exploding Targets;
  • Air curtain burners;
  • Tiki and similar kind of torches; and,
  • Chimineas
This prohibition does not include the use of outdoor stoves. As per the Wildfire Regulation, an outdoor stove is a CSA-rated or ULC-rated device used outdoors for cooking, heat or ambiance that burns charcoal briquettes, liquid fuel or gaseous fuel, and has a flame height that is less than 15 cm tall.
To learn more about the different categories of open burning, visit the Open Burning webpage.
Anyone who lights, fuels or uses an open fire when a fire prohibition is in place or fails to comply with an open fire prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150 or, if convicted in court, be fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to one year in jail. If the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be subject to a penalty of up to $100,000 and ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.
The Coastal Fire Centre covers all the area west of the height of land on the Coast Mountain Range from the U.S.-Canada border at Manning Park, including Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park in the north, the Sunshine Coast, the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and Haida Gwaii.
To report a wildfire, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cell phone. For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, go to: http://www.bcwildfire.ca
Learn More:
Follow the latest wildfire news:
  • on the free BC Wildfire Service public mobile app, available for Apple (iOS) and Android devices
  • on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo
  • on Facebook: http://facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo
Contact:
Fire Information Officer
BC Wildfire Service
Coastal Fire Centre

CAMPFIRES (INCLUDES BEACHFIRES)

PERMIT: No Permit Required. Responsible campfire use follows the (campfire regulations)

PURPOSE: Fires for cooking, warmth and ceremonial purposes. (fueled by seasoned wood only)

SIZE: Must not exceed 0.5 metres in height and 0.5 metres in diameter.

CLEARANCE: At least 3 metres from any log, stump, snag, standing tree or wooden structure.

BANS: During periods when fuels are dry (spring, summer or fall) and the fire danger increases, the Fire Chief may need to impose bans or restrictions.

BACKYARD BURNING  (CLASS B FIRES) (Category 2 open fire)

PERMIT: No Permit Required. (Enforced by the SCRD Smoke Control Bylaw)

PURPOSE: A small backyard fire for burning waste material. The accumulations are normally hand piled, garden refuse waste materials and may be contained within a (burning barrel). Absolutely NO burning of building materials permitted.

SIZE: Not to exceed 1 metre in height and 2 metres in diameter.

CLEARANCE: Not less than 15 metres from any building, 5 metres from property line and at a safe distance from all combustible materials.

BANS: Class B Fires are only permitted from April 1st to April 15th and Oct 15th to Nov 15th when the Ventilation Index as issued by the Province of BC is rated as “GOOD” for the Sechelt Region.

NOTE: The mandate of the fire department is to address safety. smoke is a nuisance and does not fall within fire department jurisdiction. If someone is burning in their yard and following the regulations they may continue to do so. If their smoke is causing a problem for you please talk to them and let them know about your concerns.

LANDCLEARING FIRES (CLASS A FIRES)

PERMIT: Fire Safety Burning Permit Required

PURPOSE: A fire used for burning land-clearing debris on private property.

SIZE: Large machine piled fires. (Burn piles are not to exceed 200 cubic meters in size)

CLEARANCE: Not less than 15 metres from standing timber, combustible materials and any property line. Not less than 100 metres of a neighboring residence or business, and not less than 500 metres of a school in session, hospital or extended health care facility. If the property is within 1 kilometre of a Provincial forest or grasslands, the applicant is also responsible to obtain a burn registration number for the fire in advance, by calling 1-888-797-1717, toll free.

BANS: During periods when fuels are dry (spring, summer or fall) and the fire danger increases, the Fire Chief may need to impose bans or restrictions.

VENTING INDEX: ensure that the Ventilation index (Sechelt Region) is “good” on the day you start the burn and forecast to be “good” or “fair” on the following day.

PERSONS WHO CONTRAVENES, VIOLATES OR FAILS TO COMPLY WITH ANY PROVISION OF THE BYLAW IS SUBJECT TO FINES UP TO $10,000.00.

SMOKE COMPLAINTS

ENFORCEMENT IS COVERED YEAR ROUND BY HMB SMOKE CONTROL BYLAW #622  (SCRD Bylaw Officer)

SCRD Bylaw Enforcement Officer can be reached by email bylaw.compliance@scrd.ca or call 604-885-6800. If calling outside regular office hours follow the prompt to the answering service.

For complaints regarding smoke from land clearing fires or large scale burning call the Conservation Office at 1-877-952-7277