Category 3 open fire prohibition to be rescinded

Effective at 1 p.m. Mountain Time on Friday, September 18, Category 3 open fires will once again be permitted throughout the Southeast Fire Centre.

A Category 3 open fire is a fire that burns:

Material concurrently in three or more piles, each not exceeding two metres in height and three metres in width;
Material in one or more piles, each exceeding two metres in height and three metres in width;
One or more windrows each not exceeding 200 metres in length or 15 metres in width;
Stubble or grass over an area exceeding 0.2 hectares.

You can find the PDF poster for Category 3 open fire here.

The following equipment and activities will also be permitted:

Air curtain burners;
Carbonizers.

Check with your local government or other jurisdictional authorities before lighting a fire of any size and abide by any bylaws or restrictions that are in place in your area.

Anyone planning to conduct a Category 3 burn must obtain a burn registration number ahead of time (at no charge). Burn registration numbers are entered in the Open Fire Tracking System, which allows the BC Wildfire Service to track open burning activity throughout B.C.

All open burning must comply with the Wildfire Act, Environmental Management Act and Open Burning Smoke Control Regulation. Anyone conducting an open burn must check local venting conditions prior to lighting a fire, understand what smoke sensitivity zone the burn site is in, and meet all other obligations associated with these regulations.

Although recent weather patterns have reduced the wildfire risk in the region, members of the public are urged to undertake any open burning responsibly to reduce the likelihood of starting a wildfire. The BC Wildfire Service urges the public to take the following precautions with any allowed outdoor burning:

Ensure that enough people, water, and tools are on hand to control the fire.
Do not burn in windy conditions. The weather can change quickly, and wind may carry embers to other combustible material and start new fires.
Create a fire guard around the planned fire site by clearing away twigs, grass, leaves, and other combustible material right down to the mineral soil
Never leave a fire unattended
Make sure that your fire is fully extinguished and the ashes are cold to the touch before leaving the area.
BC Wildfire Service
e-KNOW file photo