A fire burns near Osoyoos in this file photo taken in April. The dry weather this summer contributed to many wildfires throughout B.C. and Washington State. With cooler, damper weather, the fire risk is reduced and a campfire ban is lifted, but other open fires remain illegal. (Richard McGuire file photo)
A temporary ban on campfires has been rescinded thanks to reduced fire risk.
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) issued a statement on Friday, Aug. 22 that the ban would be lifted for all areas of the RDOS effective as of noon.
The ban affected municipalities within the RDOS area including Osoyoos and Oliver.
The decision to lift the ban follows a similar decision by the Kamloops Fire Centre, which ended their ban effective at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 21.
The fire centre’s ban affected all BC Parks, Crown lands and private lands, but did not apply within the boundaries of local governments that have forest fire prevention bylaws and are serviced by fire departments.
The Wildfire Management Branch said in a news release that recent rainfall has reduced the wildfire risk in the region.
Category 2 and 3 open fires remain prohibited. This includes any open fire larger than a half metre high by a half metre wide, fires requiring a burn registration number, industrial burning, fireworks, sky lanterns and burning barrels of any size and description.
Anyone found in violation of an open fire prohibition may be issued a ticket for up to $345. If the fire leads to a wildfire, the person responsible may be fined up to $1 million, spend up to three years in prison and be held accountable for associated firefighting costs.
The RDOS advises that the public should restrict the size of campfires to no larger than a half metre by a half metre in size and should have a hand tool such as a shovel or at least eight litres of water nearby to extinguish it.
People should never leave a campfire unattended and should make sure ashes are completely cold to the touch before leaving the area.
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