Abandoned campfires aplenty over the long weekend

The BC Wildfire Service is sounding the alarm about abandoned campfires.

Over the B.C. Day long weekend, fire wardens discovered and extinguished 32 abandoned campfires.

The service warns that abandoned campfires can start wildfires, adding that these sorts of incidents are preventable. 

If the ashes from a campfire are not cold to the touch, the campfire has not been fully extinguished.

Careless campfire use can have costly repercussions. 

Anyone who leaves a campfire unattended for any length of time could face a ticket for $1,150. 

If it causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs, as well as the value of the resources damaged or destroyed by the wildfire.

The service says it’s crucial for people to remain vigilant with their fire use and other activities in the back country during this period of increased fire activity. 

Currently, the fire danger rating in the Coastal Centre is generally moderate, with the southern tip of Vancouver Island in the high to extreme range.

On the mainland, the fire danger rating in the Kamloops Fire Centre is generally moderate to high, with pockets of extreme near Lytton, Princeton and parts of the southern Okanagan region.