Category 2 and 3 open burning prohibitions planned for the Kamloops Fire Centre

KAMLOOPS - Effective at 12:00 noon Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on May 7, 2026, Category 2 and 3 open fires will be prohibited throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety. This open fire prohibition will remain in effect until 12:00 noon Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on Oct. 19, 2026, or until the orders are rescinded. Anyone conducting Category 2 or Category 3 open fires within the Kamloops Fire Centre's jurisdiction must extinguish those fires by May 7 at noon.

A map of the affected area is available here.

As of May 7, the following open fires are prohibited in the Kamloops Fire Centre

• Category 2 open fire as defined in the Wildfire Regulation; and,
• Category 3 open fire as defined in the Wildfire Regulation.

Specifically, this prohibition refers to the following activities:

Category 2 open fire, which means an open fire, other than a Category 1 campfire, that,

1. burns material in one pile not exceeding 2 m in height and 3 m in width,
2. burns material concurrently in 2 piles each not exceeding 2 m in height and 3 m in width, or
3. burns stubble or grass over an area that does not exceed 0.2 ha.

Category 3 open fire, which means an open fire, other than a Category 2 fire or Category 1 campfire, that,

1. burns material concurrently in 3 or more piles each not exceeding 2 m in height and 3 m in width
2. burns material in one or more piles each exceeding 2 m in height or 3 m in width
3. has one or more windrows, none of which exceed 200 m in length or 15 m in width
4. has stubble or grass over an area exceeding 0.2 ha.

In addition to Category 2 and Category 3 open fires being prohibited, the following activities and equipment are also restricted:

• Air curtain burners
• Carbonizers
• Binary exploding targets
• Fireworks, as defined in the Fireworks Act of BC
• Burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description, except when used for a Category 1 campfire as defined in the Wildfire Regulation
• Controlled air incinerators

This prohibition applies to all areas in the Fire Centre that are outside of municipal boundaries. In addition, this prohibition applies to the following types of land within municipal boundaries:

• parks, conservancies and recreation areas (Park Act);
• recreation sites, recreation trails, interpretive forest sites and trail-based recreation areas (Forest and Range Practices Act);
• ecological reserves (Ecological Reserve Act);
• wildlife management areas (Wildlife Act); and
• private managed forest land (Private Managed Forest Land Act).

Municipalities often follow BC Wildfire Service prohibitions or may impose different prohibitions based on conditions in their local area. If you are in a municipality, be sure to check if local prohibitions are in place. If you are within a regional district or improvement district, this prohibition applies as well as any local prohibition issued by the regional district or improvement district. BC Parks follows BC Wildfire Service prohibitions.

Anyone found in contravention of an open burning prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $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.

This prohibition does not ban Category 1 campfires that are no larger than 0.5 meters high by 0.5 meters wide and does not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane, or briquettes. More information on the types of open burning can be found here.

The Kamloops 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, please use the reporting function in the BC Wildfire Service mobile app or call 1-800-663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cell phone . For up-to-date information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories please download the BC Wildfire Service mobile app or visit: www.bcwildfire.ca.

People can follow the latest wildfire news:

• on the free BC Wildfire Service public mobile app, available for Apple (iOS) and Android devices
• on Facebook

Contact:
Fire Information Officer
BC Wildfire Service
Kamloops Fire Centre
250-554-5965

Connect with the Province of B.C. at www.gov.bc.ca/connect.