Don’t even think about starting a campfire this weekend, or you’ll be sure to feel the heat.
Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell said hundreds of compliance enforcement officers will be on land, water and in the skies to make sure the zero-tolerance campfire ban is obeyed during the fire season.
“We’re going to get very serious about this,” Bell warned. “If you’re attending a campfire, it doesn’t matter if you didn’t start it. Everyone around the fire will be fined.”
During the B.C. Day long weekend, officers reported 100 campfires every single day.
Given the extreme risk of wildfire across the entire province, Bell was furious with the numbers.
“This is just unacceptable,” he said. “Lightning strikes are one thing, but campfires are harder for us to monitor. This will hit them in the wallet.”
From July 23 to August 3, the province issued 54 tickets for illegal campfires. Ticket fines for campfires and other violations range in severity from $173 to $345. However, if someone is found to have caused a wildfire, whether intentionally or carelessly, penalties can be much higher.
The province currently has 4,000 people tackling dozens of wildfires across B.C. and there are up to 400 aircraft fighting the blazes at any moment during the day.
Nearly $135 million has been spent during the summer’s firefighting efforts as of Thursday morning.
Matt Kieltyka reports for Vancouver 24 hours.
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North of Hope
2 years ago
Rangers Cut
Too bad we don't have more Forest and Park Rangers to help patrol the forests. Maybe the BC Liberals shouldn't have cut back on this service.