Wildfire ban to be rescinded on Haida Gwaii

The B.C. Wildfire Service announced it will be rescinding its Category 2 open fire prohibition on Haida Gwaii as of noon on Thursday.

The prohibition will remain in place in the following areas of the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction however:

A Category 2 fire ban applies to all public and private land, and includes prohibitions on: the open buring of material smaller than two metres high and three metres wide; stubble or grass fires in an area smaller than 2,000 square metres; any use of fireworks, firecrackers, sky lanterns, tiki torches, burning barrels or burning cages; or the use of binary exploding targets.

Any person found breaking the ban could be issued a ticket for $1,150, required to pay a penalty of up to $10,000, or potentially fined up to $100,000 and sentenced to a year in jail if convicted in court. The person may also be responsible for and firefighting and damage costs associated with the fire.

To report a wildfire or burning violation, call 1-800-663-5555, or *5555 from a cellphone.

READ MORE: Wildfire in the South Okanagan grows to 600 hectares

READ MORE: Backyard burning still prohibited on Haida Gwaii, fire chief warns