The District of Squamish is following suit with the BC Wildfire Service campfire ban, and will issue a ban on all campfires throughout the District as of noon on Thursday, August 4, 2022.
The prohibition is being enacted to help reduce wildfire risk and protect public safety. This prohibition will be in place until October 28, 2022, or until the provincial order is rescinded.
All campfires within the District of Squamish will be prohibited and all campfire permits within the District of Squamish will be suspended until the provincial fire ban is rescinded.
With the enactment of this prohibition, the following activities are prohibited:
Campfires;
Category 2, category 3 open fires
Fireworks;
Sky Lanterns;
Binary Exploding Targets;
Burn Barrels or Burn Cages of any size or description; and,
Air Curtain Burners
The campfire prohibition does not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes, or portable campfire devices that use briquettes, liquid, or gaseous fuel, provided they are CSA or ULC approved, and the height of the flame is less than 15 centimetres.
A poster explaining the different categories of open burning is available online: openburningregs_2022update.pdf
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.
