Extreme Fire Hazard

With the persistent dry and breezy weather, and with more to come in the forecast, it's possible Thetis Island will be entering Extreme Fire Danger Rating beginning Monday June 5th. The extremely dry forest poses a significant fire risk. New fires will start easily, spread rapidly, and challenge fire suppression efforts. General forest activities may be restricted, including open burning, industrial activities and campfires.

After 3 days of extreme fire hazard all high-risk activities must stop. High risk activities are outlined below in an excerpt from the Provincial Wildfire Regulations and apply to both Crown and Private Land.

In the Wildfire Regulation, high risk activities mean each of the following:
(As per Provincial Wildfire Regulation consolidated April 2023.)

(a) mechanical brushing;
(b) disk trenching;
(c) preparation or use of explosives;
(d) using fire- or spark-producing tools, including cutting tools;
(e) using or preparing fireworks or pyrotechnics;
(f) grinding, including rail grinding;
(g) mechanical land clearing;
(h) clearing and maintaining rights of way, including grass mowing;
(i) any of the following activities carried out in a cutblock excluding a road, landing, roadside work area or log sort area in the cutblock:
(i) operating a power saw;
(ii) mechanical tree felling, woody debris piling or tree processing, including delimbing;
(iii) welding;
(iv) portable wood chipping, milling, processing or manufacturing;
(v) skidding logs or log forwarding unless it is improbable that the skidding or forwarding will result in the equipment contacting rock;
(vi) yarding logs using cable systems;
(j) to (q) Repealed. [B.C. Reg. 213/2008, s. 1 (b).]

Please be diligent with your outdoor work.

Keith Rush

Chair, Board of Trustees

Thetis Island Improvement District