Open burning banned as heat arrives in Kamloops, Okanagan

With the arrival of the usual summertime heat in the southern Interior, the B.C. Wildfire Service has banned open burning in the Kamloops Fire Centre.

Category 2 open burns will be banned as of 12 p.m. July 15, in order to avoid human-caused wildfires, according to wildfire service media release.

Category 3 open fires were already banned at of June 30, but the expanded crackdown comes as cooler, wetter conditions fade and fuels dry out across the region.

Category 2 burns include up two burn piles up to two metres tall and three metres across. It can also include grass under 0.2 hectares.

The wildfire service also banned fireworks and sky lanterns across the region, although campfires are still permitted for now.

Punishment for breaking a fire ban can vary from a $1,150 ticket to a $100,000 fine and a year in jail, according to the wildfire service.

If the open burn is found to have caused a wildfire, a person can be ordered to pay for the substantial firefighting costs.

As of Friday, the fire ban includes the Thompson, Okanagan, Nicola and Lillooet regions.

Go here to learn more about the opening burning bans.

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