By CKPG Today

Campfire ban

Campfires to be banned in Prince George Fire Centre starting Monday

Sep 5, 2025 | 9:31 AM

PRINCE GEORGE — The BC Wildfire Service says a campfire ban will go into effect across the Prince George Fire Centre effective at noon on Monday, September 8.

Category 2 and Category 3 open fires remain prohibited through the entire Prince George Fire Centre including the following associated equipment and activities:

• Fireworks
• Sky lanterns
• Burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description
• Binary exploding targets
• Air curtain burners
• Chimineas
• Tiki and similar kinds of torches
• Outdoor stoves or other portable campfire apparatus without a CSA or ULC rating

This prohibition covers all of the Prince George Fire Centre and will remain in effect until 12:00 (noon) PDT on Friday, October 17, 2025, or until it is rescinded. Prohibitions apply to all public and private lands unless otherwise specified (e.g. in an enactment or local government bylaw). A map outlining the area of this prohibition is below.

This prohibition does not include the use of outdoor stoves. As outlined in the Wildfire Regulation, an outdoor stove is a CSA-rated or ULC-rated rated device used outdoors for cooking, heat or ambiance, that burns charcoal briquettes, liquid fuel or gaseous fuel, and has a flame height less than 15 centimeters tall.

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Anyone found in contravention of an open-burning prohibition may be issued a violation ticket for $1,150, may be required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $10,000 or, if convicted in court, may be 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.

Multiple factors are taken into consideration when assessing wildfire hazards and deciding whether to implement an open fire prohibition, including: current and forecasted weather conditions; the availability of firefighting resources; and the Buildup Index (BUI).

The BUI rating is an estimate of the total amount of fuel available for combustion on the landscape. It takes into account the fuel’s moisture content, since that can affect fire intensity.

Campfire prohibitions are implemented based on the particular region’s BUI values. The BUI allows the province’s six fire centres to follow a consistent and scientific process for evaluating the need for campfire prohibitions.