Campfires to be banned across B.C. beginning this week

Campfires are set to be banned everywhere in B.C. beginning Wednesday as the province swelters under record-high temperatures.

The ban comes after the southern half of the province saw lower than normal precipitation throughout the spring, followed by an extended heat wave that is expected to last through this week, according to a government news release.

"Camping is a long-standing tradition in this province. The B.C. government recognizes that people also enjoy having campfires, so it takes any decision to implement a campfire ban very seriously," the release says.

The ban also covers sky lanterns, fireworks, burn barrels and burn cages, binary exploding targets, tiki torches, chimineas, air curtain burners, and outdoor stoves or portable campfires without a Canadian Standards Association or Underwriter Laboratories of Canada rating.

As of Monday, the fire danger rating has risen to extreme in several sections of the B.C. Interior as well as the southern tip of Vancouver Island, and throughout most of the rest of the province the danger of a wildfire is rated as high.

The B.C. Wildfire Service says it is stepping up patrols by fire wardens and aircraft as the heat wave continues.

The campfire ban will come into effect at noon on June 30 and will last until Oct. 15, though it could be rescinded earlier.

Campfires are defined as any fire smaller than 0.5 metres in diameter and 0.5 metres high. Larger open fires have been banned across B.C. since Friday.