If you go down to the woods today, you’d better not build a fire.
As of noon today, campfires will be banned throughout most of the Southern Interior.
The B.C. Government’s Wildfire Management Branch said the precautionary measure is necessary to “help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety,” according to a press release.
“With the current trend of warm and dry weather, wildfires in the region have displayed very aggressive behaviour and required additional fire suppression resources. Human-caused wildfires can divert critical resources and crews from responding to naturally occurring wildfires.”
The ban applies to open fires of any size and even extends to other sources of flame like fireworks and tiki torches; cooking stoves are still allowed.
The ban applies to virtually all of the Kamloops Fire Centre, except for the Clearwater area in the north, and covers the Okanagan, Thompson and Shuswap regions.
Since April 1, there have been 974 forest fires across B.C. that have burned 22,327 hectares. The Kamloops Fire Centre saw 270 of those fires, which burned a total area of 983 hectares, according to the Wildfire Management Branch.
The fire danger rating remains at high for much of the Okanagan, with pockets of extreme in the southern portion.