Category 3 Open Fire to be Prohibited Effective May 30, 2025

May 27, 2025

Effective at 1:00 PM (MST) on Friday, May 30, 2025, Category 3 open fire will be prohibited throughout the Southeast Fire Centre, which includes the Rocky Mountain Natural Resource District (Fernie) and the Selkirk Natural Resource District. This prohibition is being enacted to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.

Anyone conducting Category 3 open fire within the Southeast Fire Centre's jurisdiction must extinguish those fires by the 1:00 PM (MST), May 30, 2025, deadline. This prohibition will remain in place until 1:00 PM (MST) October 30, 2025, or until the order is rescinded.

In addition to Category 3 open fires, the following equipment and activities will also be prohibited:

  • Air curtain burners
  • Carbonizers

A Category 3 open fire is a fire that burns:

  • Material concurrently in 3 or more piles, each not exceeding 2 metres in height and 3 metres in width
  • Material in one or more piles, each exceeding 2 metres in height and 3 metres in width
  • One or more windrows each not exceeding 200 metres in length or 15 metres in width
  • Stubble or grass over an area exceeding 0.2 hectares

This prohibition does not include Category 1 campfires or Category 2 open fires. Further information on the different types of open fire is available here.

The Southeast Fire Centre is asking anyone who conducted a Category 3 pile burn over the fall or winter to check their burn site(s) and ensure they are fully extinguished.

Offences and fines

Anyone found in contravention of an open fire prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of $10,000 or, if convicted in court, fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to one year in jail. If the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.

Report a wildfire

The Southeast Fire Centre would like to thank the public for its continuing help in preventing wildfires. To report a wildfire, unattended campfire, or open burning violation, dial *5555 on a cell phone or call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free. You can also report a wildfire using the BC Wildfire App Report a fire function. Reporting through the app lets you upload images and can be used without service.

Contact: Fire Information Officer BC Wildfire Service - Southeast Fire Centre (250) 318-7715