Province Shuts Down Open Burning in the Coastal Fire Centre FRIDAY

The Province is banning Category 2 (Yard Waste) and Category 3 (machine piles etc.) burning in the Coastal Fire Centre region (includes Thetis Island) at NOON, FRIDAY MAY 30th.

Thetis Island Yard Waste Permits will be cancelled at that time.

Fireworks; as defined in the Fireworks Act;
Binary Exploding Targets;
Burn Barrels or Burn Cages of any size or description;
Controlled air incinerators
Air curtain burners; and
Carbonizers

This prohibition does not apply to Category 1 (Campfires) that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide or smaller, or to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes. Anyone lighting a campfire must maintain a fireguard by removing flammable debris from around the campfire area and have a hand tool or at least 8 litres of water available nearby to properly extinguish the fire. Thetis Island solid fuel Campfire Permits will still be required after May 30th until a complete ban is put in place.

Anyone found in contravention of an open fire prohibition may be issued a Provincial violation ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $10,000 or, if convicted in court, 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 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.

Fire Chief J. Caldbeck
Thetis Island Vol. Fire Dept.