The Category 1 campfire ban has been lifted in the Southeast Fire Centre as of 1 p.m. MST on Monday, Aug. 26.
According to the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS), this decision was made after balancing the needs of the public with the need to mitigate the risk of human-caused fires, while considering current and upcoming forecasts.
Recent precipitation and cooler temperatures in the region have improved overnight recoveries, reducing the need for the campfire ban.
Category 2 and 3 open burning prohibitions, referring to any fire larger than 0.5 metres wide and 0.5 metres high remain in affect throughout the Southeast Fire Centre. Additionally, sky lanterns, fireworks, air curtain burners, burn barrels, binary exploding targets and burn cages are also prohibited.
People who have campfires in areas where they're permitted are required to maintain a fireguard by removing flammable debris from around the campfire area and are asked to attend the fire at all times. You should also have a hand tool or at least eight litres of water on hand to properly extinguish the fire.
The Southeast Fire Centre extends from the U.S. border in the south to Mica Dam in the north, and from the Okanagan Highlands and Monashee Mountains in the west, to the B.C.-Alberta border in the east.
The BCWS also announced on Monday that area restrictions on two fires in the region have had their area restrictions rescinded.
The first is the Mount Morro wildfire, located 43 kilometres northeast of Kimberley. BCWS continues to respond to this fire, but decreased fire behaviour and activity and firefighting personnel no longer need to restrict public access to the area.
The area restriction for the Dogtooth FSR wildfire, located around 50 kilometres south of Golden, has also been rescinded.
