Campfire ban lifted for much of Metro Vancouver but not for Maple Ridge

Campfires will once again be permitted throughout much of the Coastal Fire Centre, which includes all of Metro Vancouver thanks to the BC Wildfire Service lifting their ban on Tuesday, Sept. 20.

However, for residents of Maple Ridge, there’ll be no celebratory fires this weekend as the city-wide fire ban still remains in place.

READ MORE: Fire ban still in place in Maple Ridge fire chief warns

Maple Ridge fire chief Michael Van Dop explains that lifting the ban now just wouldn’t make sense for Maple Ridge.

“We’ve seen a lot of brush fires near the City from this long, dry trend as of late,” said Van Dop.

“The fire risk is still high, but we are forecasted for some precipitation this weekend, so I’m hoping that we might be able to lift the ban sometime next week.”

While 174 wildfires remain active in B.C. (as of writing), 50 of which are located in the Coastal Fire Centre, the government has deemed it safe to return to small category one open fires thanks to the recent rainfall and cooling temperatures.

READ MORE: B.C.’s five remaining ‘wildfires of note’ see rain, cooler temperatures

This lifting of the fire ban also allows locals to use additional fire-related products, including:

• Tiki and other types of torches

• Chimineas

• Outdoor stoves and portable campfire devices that aren’t rated by the Canadian Standards Association or Underwriter Laboratories of Canada

However, other items such as sky lanterns, fireworks, burn barrels, burn cages, and any category two and three open fires, still remain prohibited until Oct. 28, or until the order is rescinded.

The BC Wildfire Service would also like to remind the public that a campfire must remain no more than 0.5 metres high by 0.5 metres wide, shouldn’t be lit in windy conditions, should never be left unattended, and must be fully extinguished before being abandoned.

Anyone found violating the open-burning policies can be fined for $1,150, with potentially up to $10,000 of additional administrative penalties, and up to $100,000 in fines and/or one year of jail time if convicted in court.

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