The Labour Day weekend is not yet here, but you’ve roasted your last marshmallow over a campfire for the summer. The BC Wildfire Service has banned fires of any size on the Central and South Coast until fall.
Frustrating for those of us who were lucky enough to book a campsite and were looking forward to an idyllic night under the stars, watching the embers and ash drift skyward, but totally necessary. It’s simply too dry to risk.
In July 2015, we choked on smoke and soot thanks to forest fires burning on the Sunshine Coast, Boulder Creek and the Elaho Valley. Two of those fires were caused by humans, and one led to the death of a firefighter.
And we saw earlier this year the absolute devastation dealt by the Fort McMurray wildfire. All told, the inferno wrought roughly $9 billion in damages. It’s nothing short of a miracle that no one was killed. If our mountainside started to burn, our evacuation on congested roads and bridges would be even harder.
Tempting as it might be, don’t roll up this editorial page to get a fire started in your yard or campsite. Camping stoves fueled by gas, propane or briquettes are permitted, so long as the flames don’t jump higher than 15 centimetres.
If caught with a fire, you could be fined $1,150 and ordered to pay a penalty of $10,000. You could also be on the hook for the costs of fighting a forest fire.
Enforcement officers tend to prefer “education” over bringing out the ticket book, but we’d argue it’s time for some rigid enforcement.
We’ve had all the warnings we need.
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