The BC Wildfire Service is bringing in fire bans later this week as concerns begin to grow about the fire danger rating throughout the province, including in the Kamloops region.
While a province-wide campfire ban is not in the cards – for now – the head of the BC Wildfire Service, Cliff Chapman, says open burning bans will take effect province-wide, including in the Kamloops Fire Center, as of noon on Thursday.
This includes Category 2 and 3 fires.
“This prohibition will remain in effect until 12:00 (noon) PDT on Oct. 13, 2023, or until the order is rescinded,” according to a notification from the BC government. “Anyone conducting Category 2 or Category 3 open fires within the Kamloops Fire Centre’s jurisdiction must extinguish those fires by the noon, May 18, 2023 deadline.
The exception is within the District of Barriere, which brought in a total fire ban – including campfires – as of Monday, May 15.
While this upcoming provincial ban doesn’t include campfires, Chapman – speaking in Kamloops Tuesday morning – does say they will monitor the situation closely.
“We’re trying to find balance between allowing appropriate activities in every other center, except for the northeast,” he said. “That’s not to say by the weekend we may not shift to putting a campfire ban across the province – and or looking at it – next week.”
Chapman says this comes as concerns grow about the coming end to the high-pressure system which has been gripping the province. While this will ease the heat, he notes it comes with other concerns.
“When it breaks down, that is the day that we will be paying close attention to, and I encourage the public to pay close attention,” said Chapman.
“It’s hard to forecast now whether it will come with lightening, what the winds will be like when that system breaks down on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. We can’t even track the day it’s going to break down yet.”
Chapman also confirmed that resources which had been sent to neighbouring Alberta will be back in-service in BC as of next week.